1. Amateur or Professional ?

2. Purpose The purpose of this training is for referees to acquire a new paradigm or to gain an epiphany on how they approach Division 1 and 2 games NTSSA State In-Service Clinic 20112

3. Amateur or Professional ? Vive le différence… Professional versus amateur Who is the referee’s customer? – For one: the audience – For the other: the player One is paid to play soccer – The other plays for the love of the game NTSSA State In-Service Clinic 20113

4. Amateur or Professional ? Understand the Culture. The Africans (not African-Americans) grow up in a very different environment. Very proud Hourly paid menial labor High skill level (play 100 hours a week) Bragging rights – want the trophy NTSSA State In-Service Clinic 20114

5. Amateur or Professional ? NTSSA State In-Service Clinic 20115

6. Amateur or Professional ? Understand the Culture. The Hispanics (not Hispanic Americans) also grow up in a very different environment. Very religious Hourly paid menial labor High skill level (play 100 hours a week) Bragging rights – want the trophy NTSSA State In-Service Clinic 20116

7. Amateur or Professional ? How do they play? Both cultures play pickup games – without a referee and without a fight Most often they see the foul coming and avoid it Handling is cheating – unacceptable behavior They come to PLAY and are passionate about their game! NTSSA State In-Service Clinic 20117

8. Amateur or Professional ? What does this mean? The referee needs to understand the culture Understand what to call and not call Otherwise, the referee will cause the temperature level of the game to rise Calling the game off is never acceptable behavior and can have severe repercussions NTSSA State In-Service Clinic 20118

9. Amateur or Professional ? What should the referee do? Be creative and establish rapport During pre-game make sure the ARs understand the need to be selective in calls Talk to the players constantly, lots of use of voice – scream, “No foul!” before the event NTSSA State In-Service Clinic 20119

10. Amateur or Professional ? Prepare for the Game Look up the teams performance Find out what happened in prior meetings – If the web site is not updated Ask other referees Google the team name – Some have a team web site NTSSA State In-Service Clinic 201110

11. Amateur or Professional ? Referee Know Yourself! To thine own self be true! - Shakespeare Do you have BMT? (Big Match Temperament) – Some referees perform better – the bigger the game, the better they perform Under pressure – they FOCUS NTSSA State In-Service Clinic 201111

12. Amateur or Professional ? Referee, Know Yourself! Other referees, as the game progresses and the dissent rises, blow the whistle more weakly. Under pressure – they FOLD NTSSA State In-Service Clinic 201112

13. Amateur or Professional ? Find the balance The hardest thing to teach a new referee is how to blow the whistle. After they learn that, then we have to teach them not to blow the whistle – WAIT: if player is fouled, does the player look for the whistle or get up and play? NTSSA State In-Service Clinic 201113

14. Amateur or Professional ? Find the balance Find the balance – where both teams accept calls made and not made. REMEMBER they are used to playing without a referee NTSSA State In-Service Clinic 201114

15. Amateur or Professional ? What does the referee bring? No referee = No trophy So a referee is needed With no referee, if a trivial foul – They get up and play on – the player reacts to the responses from team mates NTSSA State In-Service Clinic 201115

16. Amateur or Professional ? What does the referee bring? With a referee, they are immediately testing the referee. If he gives them the trivial foul, the precedent is set. Be prepared to whistle every trivial foul or watch the dissent rise – As the player would – tune into the teams response to the foul NTSSA State In-Service Clinic 201116

17. Amateur or Professional ? Cautions Remember, a caution is a CALMING exercise Do not flash cards – remember these teams are used to playing without referees, so a card could be a personal insult (unless it is a pride issue and retaliation for something the referee missed) NTSSA State In-Service Clinic 201117

18. Amateur or Professional ? Be creative What can you do to control the game without resorting to cards? – Build rapport – Find some humor – Slow the game down With substitutes, or go and chat with an AR if needed NTSSA State In-Service Clinic 201118

19. Amateur or Professional ? Be creative – Talk to the coach (higher level amateurs will have one) – Get to know the names as they call to each other – Talk to all the players before or at half time NTSSA State In-Service Clinic 201119

20. Amateur or Professional ? Advantage In a scrimmage, there is no advantage. A foul is a foul. In a game ONLY a referee calls an advantage – Be sure to find the time to talk to the offended player and explain the advantage call NTSSA State In-Service Clinic 201120

21. Amateur or Professional ? Advantage discussion DO NOT engage in argument about the severity of a foul – diffuse the situation “I am sorry if you thought the foul more severe than I did.” and move on NTSSA State In-Service Clinic 201121

22. Amateur or Professional ? Take a risk Please do not risk losing control BUT – Before giving a caution, ask” WHAT DO I EXPECT FOR THIS CAUTION – If the answer is regain control of the game – issue caution – If the game is hot and YOU (yes, the referee) have not found the balance TRY TO TALK THE PLAYER DOWN Taking a risk can pay off. The referee can always issue a caution at any subsequent event – so consider carefully NTSSA State In-Service Clinic 201122

23. Amateur or Professional ? 5 levels of control Voice Whistle Yellow card Red card Abandon game Note that it is a PROGRESSION. Once one level does not work, the referee must go to the next. NTSSA State In-Service Clinic 201123

24. Amateur or Professional ? What is the payoff for this approach? The referee gets to finish more games The players start requesting the referee and do not see the referee as an opponent The players request referees for finals – the ultimate compliment The major difference is after game players from both teams thank the referee – Compared to the referee needing a police escort NTSSA State In-Service Clinic 201124

25. Amateur or Professional ? Accepting a final When players request referees for finals – it is the ultimate compliment Leagues should make the same fuss of a job well done by the officials as the league does of the winning team – DO NOT ACCEPT A FINAL WITH A FRIEND PLAYING – THAT IS NOT AN ACCEPTABLE REASON TO REQUEST AN OFFICIAL and violates the referee Code of Ethics! NTSSA State In-Service Clinic 201125

26. Amateur or Professional ? The Epiphany The player comes to play – looks forward to playing, and is passionate about playing Without a referee, the players can get through a full scrimmage When YOU - the referee - are thrown into the formula, YOUR CALLS OR NON-CALLS change the tone of the game Issue cards with caution! NTSSA State In-Service Clinic 201126

27. Amateur or Professional ? Pride in Playing NTSSA State In-Service Clinic 201127

28. Amateur or Professional ? Is this all new? If you think this is all new… Here it is – straight off the assessment sheet NTSSA State In-Service Clinic 201128

29. Amateur or Professional ? Assessment Criteria NTSSA State In-Service Clinic 201129

30. Amateur or Professional ? Referee Criteria 1: Personality and Communication 1.1Personality and Presence: Influencing the Future Varied personality to defuse and prevent the NEXT foul Personality / presence influenced outcome, channeled players to act positively Personality offered a calming influence, body language appropriate NTSSA State In-Service Clinic 201130

31. Amateur or Professional ? Referee Criteria 1: Personality and Communication Referee utilized creative techniques and out-of-box thinking to prevent and manage situations Referee changed temperament and approach as game dictated thereby sending effective messages NTSSA State In-Service Clinic 201131

32. Amateur or Professional ? Referee Criteria 1: Personality and Communication 1.2Communication Established “open line of communication” with players and coaches without being overly communicative Used all communication tools to “Draw the line in the sand” so all know what to expect Used more than the whistle to communicate and manage the game NTSSA State In-Service Clinic 201132

33. Amateur or Professional ? Referee Criteria 1: Personality and Communication Utilized “down time” to manage players and the game Knows when to use the “quiet word” vs. the public admonishment Proactive communicator NTSSA State In-Service Clinic 201133

34. Amateur or Professional ? Referee Criteria 2: Game Control and Flow 2.1Misconduct: Game or Player Need It Got the 100% Misconduct situations correct Moments of truth addressed appropriately Cautions given because the game and/or player needed it NTSSA State In-Service Clinic 201134

35. Amateur or Professional ? Referee Criteria 2: Game Control and Flow Used personality to manage / control the game versus card as the situation / game dictated Referee got something in return for the cards issued Referee utilized preventative techniques to eliminate / prevent misconduct NTSSA State In-Service Clinic 201135

36. Amateur or Professional ? Referee Criteria 2: Game Control and Flow 2.2“Big Picture” Approach in Game Context Did not use the “big picture” as an excuse for not addressing 100% misconduct situations Was a “proactive referee” Used discretion and common sense Decisions were fair NTSSA State In-Service Clinic 201136

37. Amateur or Professional ? Referee Criteria 2: Game Control and Flow 2.3Allowed Game Flow – Took Risks Encouraged flow through calculated risk taking Recognized the minor/trifling/soft challenges (what players accepted) Ensured player safety was not at risk Applied advantage as required NTSSA State In-Service Clinic 201137

38. Amateur or Professional ? Referee Criteria 2: Game Control and Flow 2.4Foul Recognition / Discrimination Discretion and common sense Managed the game to maximum enjoyment and entertainment Felt the “temperature” of the game and increased influence NTSSA State In-Service Clinic 201138

39. Amateur or Professional ? Referee Criteria 2: Game Control and Flow Avoided decisions that would have been technically correct but practically wrong Used consistency and applied equality and fairness in decisions “Smelled” / anticipated the foul before it occurred NTSSA State In-Service Clinic 201139

40. Amateur or Professional ? Referee Criteria 2: Game Control and Flow 2.5Tactical Approach Understood the tactical/technical approach of the teams/players and adjusted as the game required Ability to “read” game and adjust Utilize flexible game plan keeping with the changing demands of the game Identified “key” players NTSSA State In-Service Clinic 201140

41. Amateur or Professional ? Referee Criteria 3: Teamwork Referee empowered the team – Created an environment which ensured “critical game situations” were addressed Preparation / pregame – Reflected research / prior history of the teams NTSSA State In-Service Clinic 201141

42. Amateur or Professional ? Review The amateur players come to play Higher division teams play for pride Higher division players often have menial positions, this is their opportunity to excel and feel good about themselves Culture has an impact on how the player and or team perform NTSSA State In-Service Clinic 201142

43. Amateur or Professional ? Review The referee has a direct impact upon the game The referee needs to be prepared and prepare the team The referee needs to be creative, build rapport apply preventative measures NTSSA State In-Service Clinic 201143

44. Amateur or Professional ? Review Game management needs to reflect the tone of the game The referee should use personality to control the game versus card If issued, the referee should gain something in return for the card NTSSA State In-Service Clinic 201144

45. Amateur or Professional ? In Conclusion To successfully referee and finish a division 1 or 2 game, it is entirely in the hands (or pockets) of the well prepared referee NTSSA State In-Service Clinic 201145