| Hi Brennan. Nice job at your game last Saturday. You arrived on time, dressed professionally, and checked in the teams correctly (remember to print off the match card and read out the players names and confirm their player numbers). Your willingness to move with play improved as the match played out - this will be very beneficial as you work higher-level matches. You did a great job of enforcing the breakout lines all match. You were very receptive to my feedback at half-time and it was great to see you implement some of the suggestions in the second half, especially getting a little closer to play when the play goes into the attacking third of the pitch and managing substitutions (i.e. looking for subs at stoppages). I also thought you handled the drop ball (after getting hit by the ball) and injury fairly well - dropping the ball (afterwards) to the team that had possession of the ball. Lastly, I could really feel your passion for the game and desire to learn what to call in certain game scenarios. Keep up the good work, and I look forward to seeing you back on the pitch! Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions!
P.S. Fantastic save in our game on Sunday!!! |
| Areas to work on: We talked at half-time and after the game about a few things to work on to continue your growth as a referee.
Remember to extend your arm fully for kickoffs, throw-ins, corner kicks, goal kicks and indirect kicks (straight up). When making arm signals, be sure to differentiate your corner kick vs. goal kick signals.
Try to stay in the middle (between the boxes) and get deeper into the corners and in the penalty box; being closer to the play (i.e. in line with the last defender) when making a call "sells" the call a little more. There were a few times where you were “ball watching” – find that last defender and get as even as possible with them to make any call necessary. When a team has a kick, make sure you move up the field to where the play will likely play out (don’t stand next to where the kick is taking place).
Remember that during a kickoff, the player kicking the ball can’t touch it twice (if that happens, an indirect kick is awarded to the other team).
Remember to use a strong / loud whistle to start each half and when making calls on the pitch. It sets the tone and communicates to all observing that you can/will use your whistle and loudly if necessary. Also, make sure to blow your whistle to end the half (2 whistles) / game (three whistles). Don’t forget to keep an eye on the time as well (don’t want to go extra time). When there’s a goal, you don’t need to blow your whistle – just point to the center line/kickoff area.
On a direct kick, you would only blow your whistle if the kicking team asks for 10 yards (otherwise, they can restart the kick immediately).
On the penalty kick, remember to stand off to the side so you can keep an eye on the goalie’s feet and ensure there’s no encroachment by the other players.
Every time the ball goes out of bounds, remember to make the call first (with the appropriate arm signal for a throw-in, corner kick or goal kick) and then look over between the benches to see if there are subs ready to come in. If there are subs, give the whistle two blows and tell the thrower to wait. Then beckon on the subs. When they are all set, blow the whistle again to restart play.
Remember to keep on eye on all throw-ins (both feet on the ground; ball all the way behind the throwers head). On corner kicks, position yourself at a better angle to see all of the players (vs. the top of the 18).
For injuries, blow the whistle when the team with the injured player has possession of the ball. Immediately check to see if the player is seriously injured and a coach is needed to come onto the pitch to tend to the player.
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