Scottish FA Referee Development Blog

Category Two referee Don Robertson describes day two of the winter training camp in La Manga, as the referees get down to some serious training and enjoy a talk with a Spanish and UEFA referee observer who is also a psychologist.

We were woken up at around 7am on Tuesday morning by the sports scientist Greame Jones and fitness coach John McQuade to give urine samples. They wanted to see how hydrated we were after a long day of travelling but all I’ll say is it’s not the nicest thing to have to do first thing in the morning!

The group met at 8am for breakfast and afterwards we discussed the video clips provided by John Fleming the night before. As part of the analysis we had to score the referees using the scoring system that the referee observers use which was quite challenging at times but thankfully we have Willie Young and Jim McCluskey with us who are both very experienced referee observers and provided us with insight on how they score performances.

Our first training session at 10am. After the warm up we played some games to get the legs stretched before moving on to the main part of the session which consisted of five four-minute runs with different obstacles at each station in the circuit, designed of course to tire us out!

We were also provided with a polar watch and heart rate monitor strap which allowed us to see how hard we were working and helped us to stay within the ‘high’ heart rate zone. The session was very hard on the legs but it is vitally important to be fit if you want to be a good referee and everyone put in maximum effort which was really pleasing.

Joining us on the winter training camp this year are two journalists: Hugh MacDonald from the Herald and Charles Paterson of Sky Sports News. We sat down for a group discussion after lunch and they provided us with information on how referees are perceived by the media and invited us to ask questions. Sometimes it can be difficult for referees to read comments in the media that have been written by a journalist who does not have any experience or real knowledge about refereeing but I think all of the referees, and both Hugh and Charles, benefitted from the talk.

In the evening we headed to the La Manga Hotel to listen to a talk from a man called Manuel Lopez Fernandez. Mr Fernandez is a former Spanish referee and a current Spanish and UEFA referee observer. He is also a psychologist. He talked about pre-match preparation for a referee and looked at things like mental visualisation which is all about thinking positively about you performance and how you want it to go. He highlighted the fact that it’s not just the physical aspect of refereeing that is important but also the mental side. The talk was first class and I picked up many useful tips that I will definitely be looking to apply to my games in the future.

This is the first time that the category two referees have been invited to the winter training camp and it has been nothing short of a positive experience. I am rooming with two category one referees: John McKendrick and Craig Thomson. The latter is one of only twelve referees from around Europe who is heading to Euro 2012 so to be in his company for most of the day has been fantastic. I’ve enjoyed picking up little hints and tips from these guys and have asked a lot of questions about the refereeing experiences. To be honest, they are probably sick of my questions but to be fair to them they have been very helpful and I am extremely grateful.

Young referees Jennifer Carberry and Kylie McMullan travelled to Orlando, Florida to officiate at the Disney Showcase Tournament. Here is Jennifer’s diary of the trip.

We had an early start on Friday, 30 December leaving Glasgow Airport on a 6.45am flight down to London Gatwick.  We then had a few hours to fill in the airport before our long flight to Orlando International Airport where we arrived at 4.30pm local time. We were met by some of the other girls who had been selected to referee at the tournament and our mentors for the event and taken to our hotel to meet everyone else taking part.

Once we arrived at the hotel we were given our room assignments. Fortunately, we were together and were joined by a referee from Texas. Being in different rooms allowed us to work with other referees from all over the world and I was also fortunate enough to work with a FIFA referee from Japan called Nami Satio.

The first day of the tournament was the Saturday and we were both in the Assistant Referee role for the two games which were 8.30am and 11.30am kick-offs. So it was an early start for us with breakfast at 6.30am before heading to the ESPN Wide World of Sports. We had to apply plenty of suncream as it was very hot, something we aren’t used to in Scotland! After the games we received some feedback from our mentors as a team as well as individuals on how we handled the game and things to work on which we really appreciated. We were also able to ask questions and tap into the experience of our mentors. Following the debrief we went to the classroom where we worked in teams and answered questions about the Laws of the Game.

When we returned to the hotel we had some free time and as it was New Year’s Eve we decided to be quite sensible. We were still really tired as our body clocks hadn’t quite adjusted to the time difference and the heat from the day had drained much of our energy so we just ordered some food and watched a movie. We celebrated the New Year at 7pm local time as that would have been midnight in the UK and headed to bed soon after to prepare for the next day’s games.

The following day we were both the referee and the fourth official for our games. The weather was just as warm as the day before so again it was not at all what we were used to when refereeing and it was certainly a lot easier when we were the fourth official! After the games it was off for another debrief then to the field for an afternoon session. This involved us being taken through what we should be doing in a warm up by one of the mentors and FIFA referee Kari Seitz. We then went onto focusing on the role of an Assistant Referee and were then lead through the Assistant Referee test by a retired FIFA assistant referee called Kim Oberle. These were both great experiences as we were learning from those who have been at the top and they were passing on all their knowledge and advice to us.

On day three of the tournament, we were assigned national league games which were very competitive and the games were of a much better standard than the matches we had previously officiated at in the tournament.

We were assigned new teams which gave us the opportunity to work with different referees and share our knowledge and experience. After the games we had another debrief with different mentors before heading back to the feel to study the offside law. We made use of cameras to learn about the importance of angles which was really beneficial as we could see for ourselves where we needed to improve in our own matches.

That night we went for dinner but decided it would be a good idea to get ready really quickly to give us 30 minutes of shopping, especially since Kyle had won $100 earlier in the day at a prize draw!  After spending all our money, we went for dinner with all the female academy referees, our seven mentors and some of the Japanese referees. This was a really enjoyable night and a good way to get to know each other more than just working with them on the field.

Day four was the day of the finals and we were both very excited to find out what matches we were officiating at. I was fourth official on the U15s championship final and was the referee for the under-16s championship final. Both matches went into extra time and then penalty kicks which really tested my fitness.

Kylie was the fourth official on the U16 championship final and I was the referee on the U19s championship game which was one of only four games being broadcast live on television which I was absolutely delighted to receive. After the games, we headed back to the hotel to relax the legs before a final debrief and meeting to out airport arrangements. Later that night we headed out to Downtown Disney with a group of the referees for a bit of shopping and a meal.

We started our journey home on Wednesday 4 January but as the flight was in the afternoon, we had some time to say goodbye to some of the referees who hadn’t left through the night. The knowledge gained out in Orlando will be of great benefit to our refereeing careers and we are really grateful for the experience. It’s something both of us will never forget.

Self deprecation was certainly in abundance prior to the kick-off of today’s proceedings with everyone hoping to not finish in last place. After the steep learning curve of yesterday I had hoped for a lighter day today but there was no let up at all. The day started with Craig Thomson and Steven McLean going through matchday scenarios. This focused on the incidents that take place during the game that are of most interest – handball decisions, confrontations, red and yellow card offences and serious foul play.

It would be to the surprise of no one reading this that the most contentious debate focused on what constituted serious foul play. The main point that much of the group got wrong centred on the point that most of us raised – that the player “got the ball”. I certainly changed my mind about a number of decisions based on the four things we had to consider when assessing serious foul play: Element of malice/intent; Speed of onrushing defender; Chance of winning the ball; and Danger of injuring the player.

While we had the benefit of replays and watching incidents in slow motion, this is not a luxury available to referees who have to make up their minds almost instantly. The referees again were candid when it comes to the decision making process and admitted to making mistakes, describing themselves as their own worst enemies at times particularly when it comes to reviewing matches and incidents.

After a brief coffee break, it was exam time. Seventy marks were available over the course of 3 separate papers. We began with a multiple choice paper worth 25 marks. Each question described a situation a referee could face with the four answers being possible decisions that the referee could reach ranging from incidents of players lifting up their shirt to display a slogan or advertisement (ref will note incident in his report and the competition organisers are responsible for then disciplining the player) through to how high the crossbar is (2.44m).

In the second part of the exam we were shown 25 different offside decisions and after each four freeze frame stills of the furthest forward attacking player and we had to decide at which point we thought he was when the ball was played. Convoluted to explain but even harder to do. We were told afterwards that this part of the test was the same as elite referees sit so I can at least take some consolation from that.

Last, and by no means least, was the analysis of match incidents. We were shown 20 incidents from games and had to decide on the course of action that we would take with the choice being two of the following: no foul; indirect FK; direct FK; penalty; no action; yellow card and red card. This round was quick fire to try to replicate the decision making time afforded to referees during a match situation.

Thanks have to go to Specsavers for their sponsorship of the course, all the media bods that took part and finally to John Fleming, Craig Thomson and Steven McLean for putting us through a thoroughly enjoyable course. However,  it would seem that any chance of being a whilstler won’t be achieved after only scoring 44% in the exam. The course was certainly very interesting, albeit a lot of hard work – the usual 20 hour course condensed into just 4 hours. Still, I got my wish – I didn’t finish last.

This morning I joined the who’s who of Scotland’s football print press and broadcast media as we assembled at Hampden Park to take part in the inaugural Specsavers Media Short Course in Refereeing. We were put through our paces by Head of Referee Development John Fleming and Steven McLean, the Referee Recruitment and Education manager.

This awareness raising campaign follows hot on the heels of the club visitation scheme where John and his staff visited over 900 players ahead of the start of the season to explain new decisions and to take part in a Q&A session focusing on the new rules introduced ahead of this season.

Many reading this blog or that have ever attended a game will at one point have thought they had a good understanding of the Laws of the Game. However, it become abundantly clear that this notion was wrong. Still, after this five hour pilot course, if nothing else, I’ll have a better understanding of the pressures involved in officiating a match.

The day kicked-off with Steven McLean chairing a session on the laws of the game which featured an interactive Q&A on incidents involving denying a goal scoring opportunity or denying a goal. This took the form of the group of us being shown six different incidents and deciding whether (a) no action, (b) a yellow card or (c) a red card was required. Unsurprisingly there was almost no consensus amongst us over the decisions and that was after seeing the incident a number of times and in slow motion.

It was really no surprise that the shortest rule in the Laws of the Game was the one that generated the most debate; namely Law 11 – offside. I think the most interesting part of this debate was the fact that at one point or another everyone taking the course mentioned ‘interfering with play’ yet the definitions of the term varied. Again there was little in the way of consensus amongst us pupils over the decisions. The difference a split second can make from a player being onside to a player being yards offside was startling and does not make me envy the role of an assistant referee at all. That is, unless the game was played in slow motion as that seemed to be the only time when most of us got the decisions correct.

Steven and John were both very candid about how a wrong decision made in a game personally affects them. This can only compounded with the level of scrutiny now placed on their decisions with incidents being played over and over again on the TV. Do I know more about refereeing? Absolutely. Did the session shatter some myths? Almost definitely. That said, I don’t think I’ll be brave enough just yet to correct inaccuracies shouted out by those that sit near me at games about refereeing decisions.

Tomorrow is the second, and final, day of the course and following the morning session on match day scenarios we have an exam. I better bury my head in the Laws of the Game.

On Saturday 19^th November I had the pleasure of running out at Meadow Park for the William Hill Scottish Cup Tie between Irvine Meadow and Livingston. It was probably my first time officiating at that ground for 5 years, since my days as a Category 3 Referee, when I would have been the man in the middle.

On this occasion, however, I was an Assistant Referee, playing a supporting role to Category 1 Referee Barry Cook, accompanied by Category 3 Referee Thomas Clark – both of these officials in their first season at their respective grades.

It was great to see some familiar faces at Meadow Park, both on and off the park. It was a keenly anticipated contest, with many fans and pundits earmarking this game as a potential “upset” – as it transpired, however, Livingston controlled and won the game comfortably. It was also a comfortable day, too, for the match officials, much to everyone’s contentment and relief.

Fast-forward 48 hours and I was on a flight to Donetsk in Ukraine, via London and Warsaw. Accompanied by Craig Thomson, Derek Rose, Crawford Allan, Steven McLean and Stevie O’Reilly, I was looking forward to the UEFA Champions’ League Match Day 5 fixture between FC Shakhtar Donetsk and FC Porto. It was an important match for both sides, a must win if they wanted to remain in the Champions league.

We arrived in Ukraine after a lengthy day of travelling, checking in to our hotel at approximately 3am on Tuesday morning. We had Tuesday morning to ourselves to rest from the travelling of the previous day, but we filled the afternoon with a training session in the hotel gym, followed by a massage, swim, jacuzzi and sauna. Our hosts took us out for a nice meal in the evening, and then it was early to bed in anticipation of a long, tiring and testing day on Wednesday.

After the formalities of the facilities inspection at the Donbass Arena on Wednesday morning, and the UEFA Organisational Meeting, we were treated to a brief tour of the stadium, including the state of the art incorporated museum which was very interesting and informative. After the traditional match day lunch of pasta, we had a restful afternoon in preparation for the match that evening. I did a light weights session in the gym with Steven McLean, followed by a quick dip in the jacuzzi, and then rested in my room for a few hours.

At 7.30pm we had our pre-match meeting at the hotel, for Craig to reiterate his expectations of the team for the match ahead. With everyone clear and focussed, we headed to the stadium for 8.15pm and the start of the 90-minute countdown to kick-off.

It was already several degrees below freezing on the pitch when we inspected it, so we all indulged in a hot oil pre-match rub (although not together!) and carefully planned out how many layers of appropriate kit to wear. We were well wrapped-up for our warm-up, but we had a sense of the conditions we were to face for the 90 minutes ahead.

The match was tense and exciting and we were all kept busy throughout – thankfully this meant that we weren’t too aware of the temperature on the pitch, which was fluctuating between -8 and -10 degrees Celsius. With two goals in the final 10 minutes of the match, FC Porto won the game 2-0, eliminating FC Shakhtar Donetsk from the competition, much to the dismay of the 43,000 local spectators.

Thankfully both clubs and, most importantly, the UEFA Referee Observer, seemed happy with the performance of the match officials – so, following the post-match debrief, we were able to enjoy the post-match meal before having only a very short time to rest and pack before heading to the airport to commence our journey home. It was a long day of flights and airport lounges before we all got back to Scotland on Thursday evening. Another successful trip completed and everyone happy.

Fast-forward 48 hours and I’ve just finished my next game – a SFL 2^nd Division game between Airdrie United and Arbroath, this time accompanied by Charlie Richmond and David Lowe. Played in dreadful weather conditions on the all-weather surface at the Excelsior Stadium, this was an exciting game which ended 3-3 and had plenty of action and talking points. You would think that coming back to a mild November day in Scotland would be warmer and easier than the incredibly freezing conditions in Shakhtar – however, having shed a few layers on that basis, I was to regret not wrapping-up. I was also very disappointed that there was no hot oil rub provided before the match. However, I’ve asked Airdrie to provide this next time…