Question Number: 24389

Law 5 - The Referee 11/29/2010

RE: Competitive Under 17

Greg of Tampa, FL USA asks...

While I will not hesitate to show a card when warranted, I am known for being very verbal with players. I believe that this sends a signal that I am dialed in to what is happening on the field.

I have found that a 'cool it' or 'knock it off' often does the trick when it comes to keeping a game under control. If a quick explanation of a call (or a no call) is needed, I give it. Emphasis on quick.

I've had players and coaches go out of their way to comment that they like the way I communicate with players.

So, my evaluation comes back. You guessed it. Seems I am 'engaging in excessive communication' with players. Translated, I talk too much. I was even dinged for taking time to preemptively explain a yellow card to a player

I know it's tough to gauge without personally observing, but is there really such a thing as too much communication? The evaluator, by the way, is a notorious 'stone face' on the field.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Greg
I would place little store in what coaches have to say on refereeing style or attitude. Many times coaches like the fact that the referee has spoken to players rather than the use of the card. That has a twofold result. Less fines and less danger of dismissals.
Now I'm not suggesting cards as the only tool in the referee's control kit and yes communication is important. However I have seen my efforts to communicate become unstuck through the fact that I did not caution when I 'communicated' and then its difficult to get the toothpaste back in the tube.
When I do caution I rarely explain why and I may use the opportunity to remind the player that a repeat of his behaviour will result in serious consequences.
My advice on assessments is to take the advice given from someone who is observing and who has experience. Now I have not agreed with points in assessments over many years yet I have found them helpful and picked out the key learning points for me. Simple tips have helped my game over many years and I continue to learn from assessors. And yes I think there can be too much communication and I have found that at older age groups that dissent creeps into the 'communication'. There is a balance to be found between the 'excessive communicator' and the 'stoneface'. The challenge is to find that middle ground and the one that suits the referee's personality while at the same time is consistent with refereeing norms in the area or competition.

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

In my experience, the assessors get it 100 percent when they describe what it is that I am doing on the field. It is very important for me to get feedback about what I actually do rather than what I think I do.

Sometimes, however, the advice on what to do differently doesn't match with your personality. There are times when the advice may conflict with the comments from the last assessor. Rarely, it is just nonsense. My view, however, is that if I can gain one piece of useful advice for an assessor, the assessor is like gold. They all have lots of experience, and most of their lessons came the hard way. I welcome the chance to gain the benefit of their experience, without having to survive the disaster that led to the lesson.

As to talking to players, I also feel that is one of my strengths. I observe, however, that many referees fail to deal with misconduct with a card, and think they deal with the issue by talking. Finding the right balance between an overly officious 'book' referee, and an easily exploited 'management' referee is one of the keys to our craft.

One of our best assessors always ends his debrief with 'Try it. If it works for you, add it to your bag of tricks. If not, then don't.'

Answer provided by Referee Jason Wright

I believe it's folly to take anything a refereeing coach or inspector says as gospel. I've had some coaching reports performed on myself in the past that have made no sense whatsoever. Some offered poor advice, some offered advice that clearly contravened the laws of the game - and same mentioned incidents (or actions I supposedly made) that simply didn't occur.

That's not to say I've had a lot of great ones, but just like some referees are better or more knowledgeable than others, so are some coaches.

Think about what your coach says, and consider his experience when considering his advice. Only you can determine whether you should take the advice on board as a whole, as part, or dispose of it completely.

I was taught, as an inspector, that we should permit the referees to have their own style on the field - if somebody I'm inspecting has a different style to myself I need to respect the difference, look at it objectively (rather than biasing the report with my own personal preferences and style) and try to determine if that referee's style is aiding or hiindering his match control. I may suggest he do something different, I may point out potential weaknesses or risks, but each referee is different.

I to try to talk to players - when a player is starting to use his hands a little too much, a loud 'no hands!/hands down!' usually gets the message across. If not, then every player on the field knows he was warned. If you think a player is about to foul, sometimes a shout of 'nothing silly!/no fouls!' will help prevent the issue (nothing stupid may come across as offensive) - just be careful you don't inadvertantly warn an attacker that he's about to be tackled by an unsighted defender!

Sometimes though, it helps just to remind the players that you're nearby and watching.

Our voice is one of a number of tools we use to control the match, and I am also a believer in briefly explaining my decisions on the field, though it depends on the situation and the incident, the manner of the players, and the age and grade of the match. Ultimately we're there for the game and the players.

Of course it's possible to become too chatty on the field, and how much you're able to talk may vary on the match. Just like the whistle, if the referee talks too much then the players become accustomed to his voice and may stop paying attention. If the referee tells the players to 'take it easy' on every second tackle, it'll have less impact than if it happens a couple of times in a match - and if it reaches the point where your talking is having no effect, then that's also having a detrimental effect on your authority over the match. So I do believe it's possible to talk too much - but I've seen very few referees who would be guilty of this. I like to talk on the field.

So you disagree with the coach's views - that's fair enough. Have a good think about it though - and by that I mean, be completely open to the possibility that maybe you are talking too much and try to look at it from an objective perspective. I'm not saying he's right or he's wrong - but just make sure you're completely open to his advice, then decide how much to take on board. It may even be worthwhile experimenting with different amounts of talking.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

I think all of us not only talk some on the field but encourage others to do the same. How much talking/explaining is too much will depend on a lot of things;
1. Age of players
2. Skill level of players
3. Natural flow of the game
4.What is missed by referee on other parts of the field while he/she is talking, 5. Control of the game or lack of same