Why are there So Few Football Referees in the UK?
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- Äas pĆidĂĄn 20. 11. 2019
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Why are there so few football referees in the UK?
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It is a six-figure job, with plenty of travel, free tickets for the family and a world-class support network. Frankly, it is almost as good as being a footballer, but English footballâs attitude to those who oversee 850,000 games a year is damaging the refereeing profession.
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#premierleagues #thefa #kickitout - Sport
I can say from experience that the FA does nothing to help young officials. I was threatened by a club with a reputation for violence when I was 16. I reported what happened to my local FA and their response? The club saw no sanctions and I was pulled from all games for 6 months. I got punished for being threatened.
Aiden
The FA is like that you should do what they say No matter what
Punishing the people that are victims and/or report crimes are the of authotarian organisations
Well Aiden as an American my only advice could be....stay strapped or get clapped
Big Joe đ€Łđ€Łđ€Ł
@Frank Jomungle im not that "kind" of american compadre
Used to be a referee myself at the age of 16/17. The insults and abuse youâre getting from people for making a wrong call just isnât worth it. I believe this is a global problem.
It is a global problem for sure
It is a global issue but in America, I have only had amazing assigners and always had some form of back up being either field marshalls or other referees. We also have cops that have no problem helping us out with bad coaches or parents.
The best way to take off pressure over referees is to let people out from the pitch to take the refree decisions. Referees had to be in a room with several TVs (kind of VAR) but taking more decisions. So pitch referee had to be the transmission of most of the decisions whistled. Players wouldn't find any motivation to bother a referee but the handicap could be the cost to implement this structure
WAAAAAAAAH.. We get paid but can't deal with being told when we're being bad at the job by the people who fucking pay our wages. WAAAAAAAAH.
You sound like the fucking pigs, man.
@@AholeAtheist weirdo...
Before being born, I originally appeared on The Athletic.
lool
This kid originally appeared on the Athletic
I trained at like 15. Pay isn't worth it. Parents are irritating and travel isn't covered which makes it pretty difficult.
Toby Saunders I was thinking of doing my referee badges, should I just do coaching Instead?
even Commentator made more money.
@@user-sb2mt6pz4o Its worth taking on mind that you have to ref 5 or so games to pay off the cost of the course. It can also be difficult to get games near where you live if you can only cycle. So for me it would take the whole Saturday morning so I couldn't really do anything on friday evenings. Not trying to put you off but it's worth considering these things before you do it.
@@user-sb2mt6pz4o I'm 16 and just completed my level 1 coaching, definitely worth it!
@Toby Saunders 'parents are irritating' is perhaps the biggest understatement in history. They are a threat to grass roots football. Totally self obsessed and living vicariously through their rank average son playing Sunday League.
I got my coaching and ref badges in my early 20s. Coaching is definitely more rewarding. To be a ref you have to love the sport uncondicionally because you will get slaughtered for doing a good job nevermind a bad one.
My brother is a referee in Belgium, he started two years ago and is now 17 years old. I played football myself until i was 15 in a smaller youth league and i remember my dad and several other parents from my teammates shouting at the referee for almost every foul against us. I didn't think so much of it as it seemed to be a normal thing in every game. I wasn't taught a ref was out there to disadvantage a team, but that was the vibe around the field. Referees seemed unqualified, but in fact they weren't. We just thought they were from a young age (6-15), the ages where you take up most info in your life for your future personality and habits.
When i grew a little older i started to do the same when watching a match, the referee wasn't a human being, he was almost an object. A troublemaker standing in the way of my team winning in a lot of matches.
Everything changed from the moment my brother started refereeing. The ref finally became a person. I went to his third match as i needed to pick him up after the game. I was stunned. Only 4 minutes into the game, he whistled for the first time. A clear foul (in my opinion even a yellow) just outside the penalty area. The things the parents said on the sideline were shocking. No one blaming the player for clearly charging in on an opponent from behind. I'll list some of the things said on the sideline to paint the picture (translated to English):
- Here we go again
- I heard this referee was born with a whistle in his throat.
- Ref, gonna be a long match if you keep on like this
- (insult i don't know in English), you have a license?
- ...
All this for a clear foul. In my opinion my brother officiated a good match, he made some small mistakes. But if you compared his level of refereeing to the level at which these teams were playing, it was shocking my brother was the topic in the canteen after the match. Almost no one talked about the performance of the team. I hate to go watch him just for the abuse i experience on the sidelines. He is a strong character and says he doesn't bother with it, something i wouldn't be able to do. He also said that in a small crowd he can hear every single abusive line a person says, which hurts him sometime as it can get really personal. My brother battled with anorexia. He heard people shout: 'skeleton', 'zombie', etc.
To conclude this long story: Imagine yourself being at work with 40 people standing next to you watching every move. Everytime you made a decision, wrong OR EVEN RIGHT, they shout obscenities at you.
But even better: Let your son, daughter, brother, father, etc. referee a sunday league match and stand in the crowd. Your vision on referees will change in an instant.
Thank you for everyone reading this shit through :p
@Andy Lee thanks for sharing this. hope your brother i doing alright. he sounds like a tough cookie.
Such an innocent insult you stated. You should come here to Balkan to see the thing :)
Good luck to you, good writing
gigi dasha yeah those insults although bad pale to what Iâve heard when in a youth football match, being a ref is probably the worst job in the world
@@lucasborja3797 idk to some yes but to some itâs a dream all those guys in the vid all tho critical said it was a great job so I think it dependa
As the captain of amateur team, I always make an effort to shake the hands ref before and after the game and make sure no one on my team yells at the ref (not always easy).
Refs love the game just like the players.
Essay here:
I started at 14 back in 2011, I remember my first âbig appointmentâ for a junior official, a county cup match (U11âs). I was so happy to be involved but ended up having the parents of the away team giving me death threats as the lost after extra time. Parents found out where I lived and were shouting it to each other âto organise a lynching.â I ended up being shielded by the home team for over an hour. I kept going and got pretty far, but quit 2 years ago as the abuse every game was unreal, the last match I did ended up being cornered by a few player who threatened to rape me for it.
And the punishment both incidents got? A written reminder of the expected behaviours of the game. I have zero faith in the FA as the really donât seem to care.
Hi Everyone,
I am a rugby referee and I can tell you the difference and why I wouldn't referee football. It might highlight some areas in which football can learn from rugby.
My first point is that abuse of referees from players is close to non existent because of the on field sanctions. Shouting for something to saying "f**k sake ref" can result in a penalty. Repeated again and the player is likely to be sin binned or red carded depending on the severity of the offence. Example if you look up Dylan Hartley (England captain at the time) his red card in the premiership final. He said "f**king cheat" in the referees direction and was promptly sent off in the seasons biggest game. IN my opinion that is the way it should be and the FA would do well to advise football referees to take a tough stance and then back them when they do.
The second point is on sideline abuse, this includes substitutes, staff and fans. I live in Scotland and the SRU use a system called "whotheref" to fixture games and report scores. Also inside this system is a reporting tool for abuse from the sidelines. Once reported there is a hearing with the club and having signed up each year a first offence come with a 4 figure fine. This is enough of a deterrent for most clubs to stop staff or fans from abusing referees. I have been abused by staff and once reminded of this reporting tool the abuse has stopped and has always been followed by an apology post game. This heavy handed approach works too with fans in bigger clubs where a member of the club usually reminds fans of their responsibilities and the damage their abuse of the referee can have on the club.
My third point is the support network. I cannot comment on this aspect from a football perspective but i can advise from the rugby perspective. We have monthly meetings, assessments, mentors and regular training and pathways to progress open to everyone. We also get a generous travel expenses and are widely welcomed and given feedback by senior members of both clubs and referees.
Sorry if this is a bit of a ramble but if anyone would like to ask any questions ask away :)
interesting. thanks for sharing. yea, football should learn a thing or two from other sports. ie it took them years to implement Goal line technology (VAR) eventhough tennis has been using it for years.
honestly though, some of the teams are just thugs who enjoy kicking young lads about... a lot of them fold every year and make a new team so it would be hard to enforce those rules unless they could keep track of the registered names and continue any penalties to any new team containing X amount of those old players.
good points mate but let's keep in my mind that respect to the ref is one of the first things taught to rugby players when they are just kids or teenagers. it is in the culture of rugby. no need to mention football's culture.
A little bit of everything - Mate you are so right. It staggers me that footballers (particularly forwards) who are role models for youngsters like C. Ronaldo try their entire careers to fool refs by diving and staging, but when a ref makes a decision they donât like they surround him like a pack of wild dogs. The hypocrisy is staggering. The problem would be solved very quickly. Introduce at the highest level a rule that anyone other than the club captain approaches a ref to complain gets a card, and if the skippers approach is anything other than polite he is carded. Simple. Watch the change in attitude. Introduce the rule and say that as of a future set date, the rule will be enforced. Now when this has desired effect, (and it will because club success will necessarily hinge on good discipline) and people start to get used to it introduce it in all leagues.
The issue isnât recruitment, it is retention. I was a very young referee who was given no support or opportunity for development. Instead, I was left isolated to deal with people triple my age hurling abuse. The children themselves were always respectful, it was parents and coaches that were often the issue.
Completely agree
I personally think that football should look at rugby and the way the grass roots are ingrained to respect the officials. It's the only way that you can change the culture around football referees for the future. In game penalties for abusing the referee like moving free kicks further up the field might be a good way to inforce this
Yes, but rugby referees are so much better than football reffs. They get 10 times as much training, and are able to make objective decisions, and clearly communicate descions with captains. Football reffs are taught to be ignorant assholes from day one. The main difference in the respect between refs and players between rugby and football is that the respect is mutual in rugby, whereas it's expected only one sided in football
Foxtrot6624 what utter crap.
@@danpreston564 Fuck off. Ive had my ankle broken because a shit ref wound the other team up so much, and I've seen the same almost happen to others multiple times. I've been trained as a reff in both sports and the attitude difference is incredible. Shut the fuck up if you don't know what you're talking about.
@@Foxtrot6624 I understand it's frustrating to be injured. I play myself but have also refereed. You are actually supporting the point made by blaming the referee for your injury. Yes refs can let things get out of hand for letting progressively worse fouls go but you were injured by an opponent not the referee.
Football refs aren't prepared to be arseholes. Some people are arseholes and go into refereeing many people close up due to mistreatment over the years and perhaps this comes off as aloofness. You cannot compare Football refs to Rugby refs as their treatment from the outset is different. Perhaps they receive more training, I don't know but they definitely do not receive the same abuse from day one.
I played junior football from 10 to 18 and open age from 16 to 26 years of age. I started reffing in University leagues and had hundreds of games under my belt when I took my first Junior League game on when I was back home. Parents shouting total nonsense from the sides. They don't even play the game or know the rules. They gave me 3/10 and I laughed in their faces. Imagine someone starting out who wasn't so sure of themselves. Your attitude belongs to that group of people. If you've ever played a game without a ref or with someone from the home team reffing you'll know it's much better to have a crap neutral than a homebagger or no one.
Get behind refs the sport we love needs them.
Foxtrot6624 yup, aint the refs fault that you have weak ankles đ€Łđđđâ ïž
Historians have recently discovered that life on Earth didn't really start in the oceans, but actually originally appeared in the Athletic
So goodđđđ€Łđ€Ł
That's true, I read in The Athletic
All team sports have this huge problem: parents live vicariously through their children and think they can boss about the refs and coordinators. Entitlement through the roof.
These referees originally appeared in the athletic
this reply is originally appeared in the athletic
Please fuck off with this shit. This one doesnât even make sense.
Jayfive276 This saltiness originally appeared in the athletic
The concept of referees originally appeared in The Athletic.
@@Jayfive276 this salty boy originally appeared on the athletic
I'm a basketball official in the USA and have quit doing any youth games. The parents are just awful and it isn't worth losing my weekend to get yelled for $25/game
Never thought I'd see 'Hide The Pain Harold' in a Tifo video
what are you talking about? that's the internet historian
I heard somewhere he was a Manchester City fan
@@drxshock6957 I very much doubt a 75 year old Hungarian would support city lol
I did a paper on this at uni and concluded that itâs largely a result of academies and clubs remarketing themselves as elite pathways instead of social clubs and thereby changing the culture at amateur level to one of competitiveness and results-based. Parents now expect clubs to be a pathway to professionalism and therefore react negatively to anything that hinders their kidâs opportunity, particularly results. The culture is now toxic and it is not just referees being impacted but also coaches who donât play a player enough or donât win enough.
I completed my referee course when I was 14. I lasted about 2 years before quitting. I often couldnât travel to games and when I was able to get a lift, the abuse wasnât worth it, being told to âF*** off you blind t**tâ by a player and that players parent actually adding further insults instead of admonishing them made it totally unpalatable. I was 16 at the time and this was 15 years ago.
I think at grassroots level, there should be "parents free" days so that referees can get on without fear of being abused from the sidelines.
Only one little problem with that: How are small children going to get to the field? I'm not a supporter of letting 6 year olds go on their own to the field. (not sure about the English game, in the Netherlands you can start playing at age 5 or six, and if you live in a rural area you have to travel up to 20 kilometers for an awaygame.
At my club it was mandatory to referee once you were 14. Only once a year, and more was optional. For two reasons: To get referees for the youngest teams, and to see what a ref has to deal with. And a game with 14 six year olds on the pitch isn't that hard to manage, the parents are usually the bigger problem, but once they realise they are arguing with a 14 year old they quickly stop. And once a ref went to the sidelines, gave his whistle to a spectator and said: Well, If you know better than me go show it. The parent just left in embarrasement.
How often do parents abuse refs in the UK?.. In New Zealand it's mostly the players and some spectators at adult matches. No one abuses who ever is refereeing the kids matches, because it's mostly the parents themselves that get roped into it on the spot, so other parents generally understand, except for maybe a few incidents.
@@AholeAtheist In the UK, kids matches are refereed by qualified refs. Normally the U10's would be reffed by a 14/15 year old. Basically someone 4 or 5 years older than the kids on the pitch. Once a ref is 18 years old then they will be sent to ref any game at their level of training and experience.
I have assisted in several kids clubs and I would never ref any match. The parents can be vicious towards the ref, the coaches and the other team. And as others have said in these comments, clubs breaking the rules and abusing refs get anyway with it.
AholeAtheist in America ref abuse is much worse
@@tinplategeek1058 In New Zealand, we have linesman that are 14/15 years old running the line for adult matches. In the lower leagues they sometimes have no ref and a spectator has to ref. And I still think that refs should be subject to criticism. Yelling at them isn't the end of the world, but I think that comes of the fact that referees associations are considered separate from the FA or FIFA and local FIFA governing bodies, and are treated as though they are infallible when clearly that isn't the case. Maybe if people had better avenues to address poor refereeing, then the refs would catch less verbal or worse physical abuse. They're not accountable enough to the people who pay for them. At the same time, they could probably get paid a little more.
I have been a soccer referee here in New Mexico for twelve years. The amount of abuse is fucking unacceptable.. I do not tolerate players, coaches or spectators abusing me or my assistants. I threw out a principle of one of the biggest high schools, and I was sanctioned not the principle. I have quit high school officiating I only referee amateur adult and amateur kid's games.
Abused referee should stop the match, give his cards and whistle to the guy who yelled the most and say: "Here, you do it if you think it is so easy"
To be fair I've seen refs threaten to end the match before. I don't know why more don't do it. You're all there to play a game of football at the end of the day, if someone is being a dick to the referee it's up to the rest of the players to shut him up to avoid the match being abandoned
problem is not about the abuse inside a match, but OUTSIDE the match... the abuse that the referees and their family got on a daily basis is totally saddening. A local referee in my town had his son beaten by a group of people who support the team who just got their player banned for 5 matches, in the very same day.
they only got fined for around $200 each and that's it. No investigation, no further punishment, nothing.
@@HenSt-gz7qj That is vile, dickheads like that belong in jail
You canât card a hundred spectators
@@Thomas_basiv You can ruin their afternoon by stopping the match
Well as a referee in youth categories, I've learnt to live with the abuse on the field. I know that when I'm about to referee a game, I'll be in a hostile zone with arrogant players, frustrated managers, and angry parents, who all think they would do a better job while drinking their beer in the stands.
Sadly, it is the reality of football, and very few people actually care about our job, but I still love refereeing and I'll keep doing it whatsoever.
Iâm proud to say Iâm a referee, Category 7 SFA.
This proud referee originally appeared on the Athletic
Get him!!!!!
what are your views on var then?
@@Ijst19 didn't get the joke
Do British amatuer league crowds chase the ref into a corn field to beat him, or wait for him to come out from the locker room while saying: "come on ref, come out so we can do you. We haven't got all day, cause we had to get up early next morning, and go to work." ?
Just because, these things happens to lower league refs in Hungary :D
So I see you also have a problem with refereeing in Hungary
@@EmmetFurey no, its just the rural lifestyle đ
Yepp, almost happened in a game my mate played. A guy on the other team got a red card for telling the ref that he has to walk through the car park at the end of the game
As a Ref myself, I think the saddest thing is how I and everyone else just has to accept the abuse as part of the job. The thing I've learned to think about is whether their criticism is valid. If it is, then there is something I can build on and get better with, and if it isn't, I can disregard it. The abuse they shout is not only out of place, its also often misguided and incorrect.
I'm a ref at 17 (nearly 18) and we have to wear a yellow armband in our county FA to spread awareness about u18 abuse. I think their needs to be more guidance and more available courses for progression up the refereeing ladder.
Incoming The Athletic Memes boi
These memes originally appeared on The Athletic
Iâm happy our community/rec league has been supporting the refs for many years by:
1) Not tolerating any abuse towards refs from parents and coaches. (We crack down on them if itâs towards the ref or not. No room for that type of behaviour)
2) Let the referees caution and send off coaches and also let them kick parents out.
3) Pay them them well enough above minimum wage so the appeal is better.
4) Offer as much mentoring and training support as possible.
So many sports here (Iâm from Canada) have so much abuse for their refs and who could blame a kid for not wanting that.
3:05 lmao is that hide the pain Harold?!!
2:59 Hide the Pain Harold!!!
Any referee that has integrity probably wants to go to a league that has some integrity as well. Why would anyone want to be a yes man for the FA?
Was a youth referee from 16-20 and found an excellent way of tackling the problems head on was to introduce myself to the parents before the match, explain that I am stuck in the middle of the pitch and they would have a much better view of 90% of the fouls / challenges but I can only give what I see, based on how it looks from my point of view. Doing this made those watching understand I was only human and kept any abuse to a minimum. Admittedly it not the easiest thing and you do still hear some abuse but when passions are running high every little helps.
I have been officiating for the last 20 years here in Canada and realized that refereeing is a rewarding second career. The insults and abuse you receive from parents in youth games, and online by keyboard warriors needs to be taken more seriously by Football Associations are the world. This attacking of referees in just not in the UK but all over Europe, North.South America and Oceania. Thank you for creating the video to Matt Slater's well-written article in The Athletic. Love seeing more officiating articles in the Athletic.
Who noticed the Mr. Robot reference 3:54? Mad respect for Tifo
Evil Corp
In my opinion thereâs a simple solution to this, any abuse of an official, verbal or physical, results in a lifetime ban on attending non-professional games, or a year if the offender is under 16.
OMG, tifo referincing Mr. Robot and Evil Corp is something I never knew I wanted, but makes so much sense..I love it!!!
Reading through these comments is a depressing insight into how grassroots football is. Unfortunately I had similar experiences when I refereed football between 2005-2012. I was threatened by players in the changing rooms after games on several occasions in the men's leagues, as a 16/17 year old lad it was quite a difficult thing to take in. The final straw was when I had to be escorted out of an under 10's game of football as one of the parents who I had sent away from the game for screaming abuse at one of the oppositions players (a ten year old...) was waiting in the car park for me after the game. FA gave the club a small fine. What a huge deterrent...
Also the assessment and promotion system is flawed and full of nepotism and brown nosing
Someone needs to do a skit where a player misses a pass/shot on goal and his own teammates start crowding round and screaming at him, shouting "what the eff he's playing at", demanding he be sent off etc. - it then cuts to a referee stood there with a brew, sips, looks at the camera and just says "it's not much fun when it's you, is it?". For added irony, you could then repeat the entire skit exactly, only this time the player makes the pass/shot.
3:53 Mr Robot reference? Me likey
Hello friend.
"Please tell me you're seeing this tooâŠ"
Haha we can banter all day long with this. Anyway is the series still continue? I lost after 3rd season, i guess, when tyler shot eliot.
Spoiler!
The fourth season is on
This is a part of football which almost no one knows
Everyone who plays at grass roots level has seen this first hand. It's ugly
I'm saying this as I live in India and not in Europe
Very nice video, I have never thought to be in the "opposite side of the game". In addition to your video I believe that with the introduction of VAR, fans are more likely to find someone to get angry with, because you can't blame a machine. Then I admit the rules about how and when using Var sometimes are vague and not clear yet (I'm Italian and serie A is getting worse from this point of view), but I really believe that some people need to have someone to blame for their team's defeat.
Absolutely love the subtle references you guys put in your videos.
Harold
E Corp,
Is good but can be better meme
The Mr Robot Evil Corp reference was dope... and originally appeared on The Athletic
I was a referee when I was 16 and ended up sending off the away coach after 10 minutes in my first gameđ
I've been playing senior level amateur or Sunday league football for the last 10 or so years, and I can't for the life of me understand why anyone would choose to be a referee. I'm extremely grateful that some do, but the amount of abuse they get on a regular basis is unbelievable.
Usually theyâre the ones to be âlast picked in PEâ, if you catch my drift
@@TheUKNutter I see what you mean, but that's not true. Most referees do it for the quick money. 50 pounds a game for a 3 hour job (including traveling) is pretty good. A lot of referees are also people who unfortunately had to stop playing football early but still want to be involved (i.e., myself).
Why is this titled referees in the UK when all they referenced was about England? No mention of the Welsh, Scottish or Northern Irish FA's or their referee statistics
UK is shorter, and people generally don't give a damn about the other countries, sadly
Svetislav MilutinoviÄ real shit. Unfortunately. (Nem scots ought to juss get dey indepennes)
Honestly, if it's not football related, all thats just "The UK" to me. I understand if people do this, because it's easier.
@@superkh12 I see your point but the Title is still wrong. UK does not equal England. It's like making a point about all referees from Europe and then only giving points about Germany, its not proportional.
I can say as a ref in Australia the abuse is prevelant but thats not the problem for you to progress and move higher they want you to give up football and focus on reffing I love the game and thats why I began to ref but I cannot stop playing its so important to me and due to this Iâve been pushed aside as Iâm not willing to soley focus on reffing
Love the Mr Robot reference on the shirt sponsor
We have many similarities in the US system. Overall I had a good experience reffing. Easy money.
3:00 Hide the pain Harold?
Was not expecting to see a ticket for little old Argo in the first scene
Silky smooth voice Mr Devine, now I want a podcast
Before even watching the video, parents, coaches and players at any level is the answer.
I lost it when "Hide the pain Harold" appeared at 2:58
I just tune out the background noise when I'm refereeing. It becomes just a constant wall of noise after a while.
I wanted to be a referee and Iâm 20 this year. Sadly I canât because my State FA isnât doing anything to recruit new referee. Every time I heard of it, the application is closed.
0:25 Iâm surprised Plymouth made it on to something
I qualified when I was 14 (now 22) and whilst I grew so much in terms of my character and abillity through it, the abuse you get and the loneliness of being the only one out there (unless you push to promotion in higher leagues but that takes years) is definitely a hardening experience. I think that the FA has gotten better at supporting referees when conflict arises however there needs to be more patience and support for referees who make mistakes, especially those who are young need patient guidance.
I've given regular league refereeing a break for a few years and I may take it up again to earn some extra money but the prospect of starting it all again at competitive levels makes me nervous for the hatrid from people that comes with it. Overall, I do still love refereeing, but I dread the games that I know will come where everyone turns on you.
My Dad used to watch me referee, but someone once almost punched him after a dificult game I refereed, and since then I haven't wanted him to in case something happens. He also can't bear to see the way people speak to/about me at too many of these games.
On the plus side though, i got to referee at The Valley and also at a local charity game for a young guy who passed away which was attended by 1500 local people which was a wonderful event. So there were good times too.
sorry that you went through that mate... but the worst thing to do is take a break. a few months wonât matter much but itâll be difficult to get used to again to begin with after stopping for a few years. if you want to get back into it do a few kids games
when i passed the test in 2017 at 14 they had me rated quite highly so gave me a cup final 5 months after i started. it was a disaster and from my first 10-15 games i probably only did well 2 or 3 times. i find it on the whole quite simple nowadays, not that i get everything right, but that you realise itâs the parents who are worst for the abuse and they know fuck all about the game anyway. all the best and hope it goes well if you start again đ
2:59 hide the pain ref
I have been a linesman and refereed in the lower leagues of Australia and have been abused almost every game. The abuses specially from parents unbelievable, I have had racist and homophobic slurs thrown at me regularly by grown adults
... because being a football hooligan is more fun. Referees don't make lifelong friends. And unless he's working for the bookmakers, nobody at the bar says _"I'll like to buy that ref a beer."_
yeah but 6 figure salary to watch dudes kick a ball... come on now. more like the ref should be buying other guys a beer at the bar lol
I am a Referee in my local area. I also still play the game in the Local Sunday league at a high level for my age. I tend to prefer refereeing these players in cup games and coed leagues rather than doing high level youth games. The benefits for my physical safety as a player have been enhanced by my decision to referee my peers for less $ and treat them as I would want to be treated as a player. I may be that one ref that is regularly invited to pubs or for a post match beer by both winning and losing teams. This problem is global and serious to the health of the game. We must all respect referees!
Our team invites the ref to the pub after the game, they're human after all and most of them are nice blokes. We especially do it when the other team have been abusive
As a player for many years at youth level now I see how much hassle referees get from our opponents as we were always brought up as a squad to respect the officials and be polite to them and not once was anything ever reported when a referee was assaulted or had other issues during a game through fear the FA is shocking at handling situations like that and just hide away using stats that arnt actually true
I qualified when I was 14 and am now a 20 year old level 4. Many times I have considered stopping refereeing altogether simply because of the lack of support from the FA, and the system setup as a whole. The fundamental problem from my experiences lie within the grassroots Sunday game. It is here, where a referee is alone with no assistants to help them that they can become targeted and subject to most abuse. Thankfully I stuck through to the point where I am now refereeing at a level that guarantees I will have assistants and most often an observer too, in a much more organised and professional setup. If the FA doesn't take more proactive steps (like sin bins which have been good) then grassroots football will fail through a fundamental lack of referees willingness.
Interesting. Is it only really possible to referee on the weekends or are there games throughout the week generally as well? Also, with you already being level 4, can I ask whether you think it's plausible to make either refereeing itself or something related to it into a primary job / career? Or do you think there are too many barriers etc.?
@@Simnuvo I referee an equal amount on Tuesday and Wednesday nights as I do on the weekends - mostly cup matches etc... It also depends on what local additional leagues you decide to work with. Having been refereeing for 6 years and reaching level 4 (whilst getting a degree) I have had to give this a lot of thought and I feel this is the best way to look at it: If I were to become a premier league referee (one of the top 1% of refs in the world) It would take me at least another 7 to 8 years and would not be a guarantee. Id be shocked if A) I made it this far due to tough competition and B) if I could do it so young. These premier league referees make 150,000 a year which is a very very good amount of money no doubt - but conversely if I dedicate myself to the field I want to work in (I do a business management in Sports degree) and made it to the equivalent of a Premier league ref (top 1%) then i would be making a hell of a lot more than 150,000 a year - So to answer your question, no, I don't see it as a viable primary job. It is however a great tool to have that looks great on a CV, employers can appreciate and is invaluable in teaching social, people and life skills.
@@tomfennelly9095 Ah I see. Thanks for the response - very insightful.
I got some abuse when refereeing a school match between 10-11 year olds.
In fact, this video could almost be redone exactly the same with 'referees' replaced with 'teachers'. Experience isn't able to be built up because the drop out rate is too high.
Is the Abel Xavier league for gifted youngsters a rib? I can't find it on google lol.
I was a ref for the early part of this century, before a car accident left me unable to run. Hereâs my two penneth. Reffing at local level is shit. Doing kids football is ok, and I used to have an easy way to shut the loud mouthed parents and coaches up, I just embarrassed them. 'Youâre really saying that in front of your child and their mates?, grow up' kind of thing. Adult local football was horrible. Sunday morning adult football even worse. You feel so isolated as one person against everyone else, the team, their coaches, their fans. I stopped doing that within about 3 years. The best thing we had was the local league team's youth academy, which at that time was part of the premier league academy. Up to the U15 teams you could referee the games and at U16 you could run the line. We used it as a kind of mentoring system for new and young refs, in a controlled and supportive environment. We would even share games, doing a half each and spending the other half evaluating each other's performance. Plus we got to watch the best young players from Chelsea, Arsenal and so on and also get to watch and listen to the best youth coaches, which was an amazing experience. Also, the youth team players are so well behaved so it was always enjoyable to ref the matches.
For me there is a problem in how fast refs can progress. If you are reffing when a teenager you havenât played enough of the game to have a good enough understanding, but if you wait until you are 30, which I did, you are too old to take the career anywhere.
3:55 evil corp
You guys should really do a video on Markus Rosenberg and his impact on Malmö FF. His play has given the team a economic dominance in Sweden.
In the USA I love my job. Itâs a good job for young people. We are super young (14 yo) and we were names best referees in the region and one of the best in groups in the US. we are abused and screamed at all the time, but we love it. Everything Iâm the video is right, they are terrible to us be we love it. I work with 2000 referees right now in my club and although we take a lot of shit, we love our jobs.
â...or even life.â If you hit a ref, thatâs it. You should be prosecuted and never allowed to play again.
Been a reff in Australia for 10 years. People tend to keep tame around me because of my appearance but I still get my fair share of abuse. Pay is totally worth it for a weekend hobby. 400 Aussie bucks a weekend or the equivalent of around 200 quid
Waiting for that Mourinho's spurs tactics. though it's still very early
I honestly think all players once they retire should have 5-10 years as a referee, assistant ref, linesman/woman, VAR assistant etc... it should be part of the contract they sign at their clubs and the club should pay for their qualification as soon as they join the club. This means that players learn abut refereeing rules and regulations asap and can understand why referees can get decisions wrong- and this should be *COMPULSORY ACROSS ALL LEAGUES NO MATTER WHAT LEAGUE YOU ARE IN OR SEX/GENDER YOU ARE!* As for young refs etc, I think they should be encouraged and if they make a mistake it's a mistake- people just need to acknowledge that young refs make mistakes and errors and therefore that should be a time when you encourage them to learn rather than degrade them especially if they are in their teens/early 20s. Refs get too much abuse- if anything they need constructive criticism rather than destroying their morale. And personally VAR should be more like TMO so then the ref gets all aspects of it and there should be a version of TMO across all 4 major domestic leagues. I also think there should also be body cameras so we know it from their viewpoint and should be compulsory across all levels. If we work together and encourage rather than destroy their self-belief then refs will get more credit and praise than the players will ever deserve. And as of death threats and all that should be treated like they are in any other job- with a criminal record and imprisonment for life.
Im a grassroots referee, i was 15 and getting awful abuse with a man even starting on me because i didnt give a few decisions his teams way
Tifo.. I love this video I can speech from experience as I started reffing when I was 15 in Northern California which is a big hub for refs in the United States. Many of the refs that end up being national refs or even fifa refs comes from Nor Cal, but even here people are so hostile and expect us to be perfect which is not the case. Anyways love the channel and love the video!
This guy has the best voice on CZcams.
My dad used to be a referee, for youth games. One day, a parent told him they hoped he got cancer, and my dad decided he was done, and quit after that match.
I quit as a referee, you get so much shit that it's just not worth it. I'm not giving up 2 hours of my day off (or more if I have to travel) to be sworn at, spat at, physically threatened or worse. I know refs who have been attacked after matches. I don't care about not being paid much, I reffed for the love of the game, but it's hard to love the game when all you get is grief for trying to help - you literally can't have a proper match without a referee. It's also hard to learn and become a better ref when any mistake leads to people jumping down your throat, the pressure is ridiculous. The FA don't want to hear any complaints, the due process is awful. I'm glad I quit and I won't be returning unless major changes happened.
I'm from Romania and i was a ref when i was 16-18. I can confirm what the other guys from all over the world are saying : there's no pay, the local FAs always take the side of the clubs, threats or actual violence against refs are seen as "part of the game" in most rural places and so on.
I was an assistant ref mostly, and in one Cup game i had a car driving up and down the sideline not more than 2 meters away from me at any point. I was flat out told they'd run me over if i don't "do a proper job". Another time there was the village cowboy (which is almost like a hobo here, nothing like the US) crack his whip close my feet the entire game, also to make sure i "do my job properly". By FIFA law there has to be police protection at any official competitive match, but i've seen more than once the local police joining the players/peasants in beating the ref. I'm talking about games with at least a couple of hundred people in the stands, not amateur league.
Where did the athletic originally appear on?
As much as I'll hate on a Ref for calling something against my team, I also understand that they're just people doing their job. I don't personally hate them, I just want my team to win. I'd never incite violence against them though, that shits too far.
Unless it's VAR.
Over enthusiastic parents, abusive coaches, abusive players.. take your pick!
One time, a Father was obset and cryed the hole game, how bad my refereeing was. Short after the start of the second half, I got to him and told him, that only good players get good referees, so may his sone is not good enough. He was a little bit quiter after this. But this was in Germany, and in handball. I have no idea how football has any referees.
Been a ref in Italy for a decade and in the UK for 3 years, applied for 5 to 4 promotion but didn't make it. The level of abuse a ref gets in the UK is quite serious. I could have never imagined the lack of respect towards refs to be less in the UK with respect to Italy. Also, there is lack of development and training, the support structure just isn't there. The pay is quite low too...
This comment originally appeared on the athletic
The UK has CCTV everywhere but you canât have referee body cameras? Bullshit.
In the Netherlands we have the same kind of problem. Here they dont even make a 6 figure salary and most of them have jobs on the side. And the amount of times a referee has been killed or put in the hospital is disgraceful. All of them on amateur level.
Once playing in a local 6v6 game some guy 20yo straight up walked out of the bench and punched the 60+ yo referee on the nose and left, the poor guy was bleeding and crying on the floor and I stopped seeing him after that game. Respect them they are only trying to help you enjoy your game
I volunteered to ref at U9 U8 at my team, i was 15 and faced abuse, it's not nice when a middle aged man confronts you about your skills as a ref. The kids were fine, the parents were not.
Maybe one day no-one will want to do it then either the game will die or they'll use A.I.
It's a vicious cycle. The public complain endlessly about referees, meaning fewer people go into refereeing because it's a thankless job, there then isn't enough competition to keep the standards consistently high, and then we get more complaining about referees.
The athletic originally appeared on this story
The Athletic originally appeared on the Athletic.
Before CZcams was created, it originally appeared on The Athletic.
Probably this starts at the top of the game. If the players in the premiership start showing some respect to the ref, then it would maybe trickle down. Managers need to be included in this.
I would expect the main reason is the abuse from parents. Some people are twats when their kids are involved.
I wonder whether anything has changed in the 2 years since this video was made?
I personally think if the FA took accountability of protecting refs from threats and violence seriously but also disciplining them seriously when mistakes are made then this problem would be reduced massively.
I canât say much for the amateur and semi professional game, but 3 decisions this weekend in the PL that were so obviously incorrect, and not even VAR caught them and overturned them.
I reffed for a bit. In a U10s pre season game I had an incident occur where by the letter of the Law I should have issued a Red Card. Instead I had a word with the Kid's coach and asked him to sub him off instead so there would be no cards, fines or suspension. The Kid's Dad said he'd be waiting in the car park for me afterwards. At Sunday League level lad culture is just ruining the game. For what is essentially organised recreational football the behaviour of many players is just toxic.
Can only speak of the system in Ireland under the FAI. It's a shambles.
Please turkısh subtitle because we love you and we understand a little
It's been a while since I watched athletics video