Refereeing Should Be Fun!

2011-11-09T20:54:00.000-05:00

This tip of the week is not going to be about mechanics or rules or game management. The tip is - refereeing should be fun! If it is not, you should — as they say — hang up your boots. Here are some of my favorite examples of referee humor — times when being on the soccer field as part of the referee crew was seriously fun.

One time I was AR at Sienna Heights University. The game was physical but not too bad. Some fans yelled at the referee, "You're losing it!" To which the referee yelled back while pointing to his obviously balding head, "I started losing it a long time ago!" It got a big laugh and guess what? Those parents and the referee had a nice rest of the game.
A FIFA referee told us about the time he was doing a pro game that was being broadcast live on TV. During the game, a player said to him, "You're missing a good game." To which the referee replied, "No I'm not. I am taping it at home."
I was doing a tournament in Kalamazoo, and a dog was on the sidelines barking real loud. Like real loud. I looked at the dog, and then at the parent holding the dog, and walked over to the dog and took out a yellow card. I looked at the dog with a stern look on my face. The mom looked at me in horror, trying to make the dog stop barking, and she said, "Oh my gosh, I am so sorry. Is this a problem?" I put the yellow card back in my pocket and laughed out loud, and then the whole sideline of parents laughed. At the start of the second half, I said to one of the players about to take the kick, "Did you see me give a yellow card to that barking dog?" To which the player replied, "Yeah, that was my dog."
This is a trick I use a lot. I am referee, an attacker shoots on goal, and the ball goes sailing high and wide. Obvious goal kick right? Everyone knows. I look over to the AR and firmly signal...corner kick. He looks at me surprised, like, "Oh gosh, ok, I must have missed it" and signals a corner kick. The players don't see our little exchange and proceed with the goal kick - no problem. The AR looks at me puzzled. I smile and shake my head and he and I both laugh out loud. It's a good one. But for this one, you have to make sure no one else sees your joke corner kick signal.
Another FIFA referee was describing setting a wall at 10 yards near the goal. It's a pro game and everyone is really into it. He marks the wall back, "BACK! MORE GUYS! MORE! MORE!" with loud tweets of the whistle and so on. And then he says to them in a quiet voice, "Ah, you know what, take a step forward." Again, catches the players off guard and gets a laugh. The referee told our group he was speaking to, "You will probably be able to use this one once in your career."

The point of all this is, when you are on the soccer field refereeing, it needs to be fun. Yes, there are times when you need a firm whistle and a stern look on your face to calm the game down, but there are also times when you can laugh, smile and enjoy the game too. Disguised behind this humor is another thing - game management. Sometimes a smile and a joke will do a world of good to help you manage the game and develop a relationship with the players, coaches or spectators.

None of this is in the Laws of the Game. When and where to tell a joke in the middle of game depends on the level of play, the mood of the game, your own personality, and a million other things. Being a referee is not all about enforcing the rules. Refereeing a soccer game can and should be fun too.

For the love of the game,
Brad

Tips From Nevin

Refereeing Should Be Fun!