Game Management KLOA Clinic - February 28, 2016

Primary Responsibilities of Officials Keep the game: Safe Fair Act professionally!

Introduction Officials manage games, we do not control them Managing the game starts with the first communication with the coaches, players, table, fellow officials, etc. and continues until you leave the parking lot at the end of the game Remember, somebody's always watching ...

Tip #1 - Be professional Did you Contact the school and confirm the game time and location? Check team websites for common opponents and outcomes. Contact your partners and decide what to wear, where to meet and when? Make sure your uniform looks good, all your equipment is in working order? File copies of clearances in your bag? Did you Have a pregame? Has anybody seen the teams? What are their tendencies? Introduce yourselves to coaches? Conduct the pregame certification? Conduct the coin toss when you said you would? Did you talk to the table personnel? Ask about national anthem, starting lineups Inspect the field? Goals?

Tip #2 - Be in the right spot Understand the appropriate mechanics for that game 2 or 3 person Hustle to get to the right position Coaches and players won’t understand mechanics but they’ll know when you’re in the right place to make the call The closer you are, the less they’ll argue

Tip #3 - Be Focussed, Be Aware Know your responsibilities in each position On ball off ball. Don’t watch the ball. Lead - goal line and end line, crease play. Trail - mid-field line, shooter and late hits. Be aware of the situation Teams crossing for timeouts Defender and scorer having a “discussion” When the ball is dead, officials must be “alive” Understand the score, the time on the clock, the period When possible communicate with your partner(s)

Tip #4 - Be Open Coaches and players will talk, look for an advantage If respectful and controlled, listen Coaches are never going to agree with every call you make. Understand that and be prepared to let them vent Try to treat the yelling and complaining as white noise

Tip #5 - Be Quiet When dealing with coaches and players, try to be quiet Watch your tone. Just like players and coaches communicating with you, how you say it may be more important than what you say Be loud enough to communicate but not too loud so that you intimidate or incite When communicating with players, be careful not to cross the line - Coaching.

Tip #6 - Be Calm It’s our job to be cool, calm and collected when everybody else is going crazy Watch your tone. Choose non-confrontational words If you’re trying to control behavior that last thing you need to do is incite more misbehavior Avoid sarcasm. It is too easy to misinterpret Be careful with humor, it can also be very easy to misinterpret

Tip #7 - Be Brief Don’t engage in debates or long 2-way conversations Say what needs to be said in the fewest words possible Focus on what you need to say or do to manage the game. You can get into more trouble by saying too much more often than you get into trouble saying too little The rule book is your friend The goal is a safe, fair game. It is not to win arguments with players or coaches. Never engage with spectators or fans! Call in game management.

Tip #8 - Be Quick Get the play going again as soon as possible Once play starts, players get back to playing and coaches get back to coaching If they’re doing that they aren’t having a discussion with you Restarting play gets you away from them and officiating the game (back in position)

Tip #9 - Be Humble You will make a mistake When you do, take responsibility “Coach, I missed that one” Fix it if you can Move on if you can’t

Tip #10 - Be In Control There will come a time when a player or coach will cross the line. Everybody’s line is different Ramp up the response to “crossing the line” Verbal warning Loose ball conduct foul Conduct Foul Unsportsmanlike Conduct foul Ejection Avoid ultimatums “Coach, the next word gets a flag” Escalate up the “ramp” in case of Profanity and racist comments Questioning your (or your partner’s integrity) Threats “Out of control behavior” What you allow you encourage

Without Officials - It’s Just Recess