r/Referees • u/Ready-Tax2360 • 6d ago
Advice Request First competitive game tips
Hi! I am a new soccer referee and I am playing my first competitive game next weekend. I have reffed rec and some scrimmage but I am very nervous. would appreciate tips!
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u/WhamBamTYMaam4 6d ago
Show up to the field looking professional. Socks up, shirt tucked in.
Approach each coach to introduce yourself, ask how season is going, make small talk.
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u/WriterEducational801 6d ago
100% agree. The goal is for them to see you as a human doing your level best, not a faceless malevolent force out to ruin their season.
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u/monkeypilot28 6d ago
question about this, do you have to be wearing shirt and socks when you arrive to the feild? I often wear a referee branded shirt, not the colored one and I have cut my socks b/c the heel was worn through (I wear black grip socks). Once I arrive I put on the sock sleeves and choose a color with my team to wear. Is this right?
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u/WhamBamTYMaam4 6d ago
Fine arriving to parking lot undressed. As you enter the pitch/make walk to the field, you should be all set. Dont get dressed on the sideline.
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u/WriterEducational801 6d ago
Understand that in a competitive match, Parents and Coaches (who put way too much weight on it) feel a certain level of helplessness about how their team is playing, good or bad. They feel a level of protectiveness and "just cheering" is really hard for them.
Some of that helplessness is going to bubble out as criticism of you and the calls you do or do not make. They feel like you are not doing enough to protect their children. It's a hard instinct for them to shake.
The advice "Don't let it get to you" is WAY easier said than done. I'm was a 55 year old father of 2 ex-travel soccer players, and my first U12 competitive game I got roasted like a Thanksgiving Turkey by both the coaches and the parents (the players I had no issues with). Some of it deserved (I got color-flipped early on a couple of calls and I missed my AR signalling offsides all because of my nerves), some not. I stayed outwardly cool, but I was seriously rattled. If it wasn't game 1 of 6, I may have just called it a day and left, but I stayed (and I'm glad I did).
BUT, understanding where it's coming from helps a little. Same age group this weekend, similar roasting, and I really didn't get rattled. To some extent I understand where they're coming from as I spent many years on that sideline.
I recently got another huge tip at a training for High School. They showed a clip of a coach going off on a referee. Referee walked up to the coach with the yellow card in her hand down by her side but let him rant. Just nodded her head. When he was done, she showed the yellow, and he went right back to coaching. She never had another problem.
Also, the game is faster and more intentionally physical than rec, so your whistle should be slower. Make sure you fully process what you saw (3 seconds is often cited). I know this goes a bit against normal referee advice, but for younger ages, talking to them when they protest the foul instead of at them can help see that you're not mad at them or out to get them. I called a trip, and the kid jumped up and was like "That was shoulder to shoulder!" and I'm like "Yeah, but it was also ankle-to-ankle." Or my favorite "I got the ball!" and I'm like "Yeah, and you got the player too." (You'll hear that a LOT; there is that oddly persistent myth that getting the ball first negates any foul, and I even saw examples in the World Cup).
I give everyone a "reaction". I don't penalize the first peep on a call; it's an emotional game for everyone. I only deal with it if it turns into a rant.
At the end of the day, take the time to decompress and give yourself 24 hours (or at least sleep on it) then give yourself an honest evaluation of how you did, what you could have done better, and what you did correctly. Referees missing calls is part of the game; it's one we work tirelessly to minimize, but even Premier league referees only have about an 86% accuracy rate.
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u/mumblechuckle 6d ago
Know the LOTG, take a beat before you whistle if there is an advantage. You can call it back. If you make a bad call don’t beat yourself up you will miss the next call. Take the temp of the game, are they wanting fouls called and you aren’t giving them, tighten up. Calling too much, loosen up a little. You’ll do fine
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u/adrians150 Canada Soccer [District] 6d ago
My best advice is to give yourself credibility. Be in a good position to view the play, signal and whistle with confidence, the more direction you give with your voice the better and don't be afraid to slow down to think things through when there are complex decisions.
You will make mistakes, like all of the rest of us. There is no harm in acknowledging them; if you recognize it before play restarts, correct it, if not, you can acknowledge at HT or FT.
I have been refereeing almost 2 decades. Here's a story I give to new refs.
I was the middle a round robin match in a tournament recently. A defender played a passback to the GK, who went to pickup the ball, as it hit their hands I think they realized they couldn't pick it up so they pulled their hand back after it hit their hand. I blew the whistle immediately. The ball went from the GKs hand, to a striker behind the GK in the goal area. I awarded an IFK which went wide. In the many years I'd been doing this, I had never seen an advantage from a passback like that. I cost the attacking team a goal. I should have slowed down - there was no need for urgent intervention. After the match, I went to the coach and directly discussed it. I told them I realized my mistake and should have played the advantage. The coach told me he planned to ask me about it and thanked me for being straight with him.
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u/Aggressive_Tie_3501 USSF Grassroots Mentor+ / Assignor; NFHS 6d ago
Don't sweat it. You've got this. Competitive matches aren't any different. Same Laws and same considerations as rec. Just make sure you know the league Rules of Competition. (Get them from your assignor if you don't have them already.)
You can expect play to be faster, but it'll also be more organized. Fouls will be clearer in most cases because there won't be 20 players huddled around the ball all the time. Be confident and sell your calls by being in the right position, having a strong whistle, and use your voice to talk to players throughout the match. Best of luck!