TOUCHLINES The Magazine of the Sutton Referees’ Society

www.suttonreferees.co.uk

March 2012

March Society Meeting now

Wednesday 21st March

Simeon says…

C o n t e n t s

2 Simeon Says…

3 Editor’s Notes

3 From the Chair

4 Sutton’s Super Refs

5 Surrey’s Cup Final Referees

6 Captions Please!

7 Marathon Man

Sutton’s Barrie Whittington – Born to Run.

8 Is the Pitch Fit for Play?

AFA’s John Cooke’s guidance for referees.

10 Wanted – Sutton Utd Liaison Officer

Society Vacancy as Barrie Gale steps down.

11 ..in the Referee’s Opinion

Your thoughts, questions and comments.

16 A Funny Thing Happened…

Amusing Tales.

18 February’s Guest Speaker – Tim Lawrence

Thoughts of the Surrey RDO.

20 Check the Net

Snippets from the World Wide Web.

27 Surrey’s ‘Have Your Say’ Event

with Kevin Friend & Ian Blanchard.

31 In Pictures - Sutton Refs in Action

Picture Feature – Ryan O’Sullivan & Mike Coen

on the Guernsey -v- Frimley Green game.

33 Be Careful what you Wish For

Barrie Gale’s take on ‘Technology’.

34 Society Contacts

35 Referees Association Board Minutes

from the meeting of Sunday 19th

February.

38 Minutes

From the Meeting of February 8th

, 2012

40 Dates for Your Diary

Upcoming Events.

March Meeting – Wednesday 21st

Hi, All.

First of all I would just like to remind everyone that the March

meeting scheduled for 14th has had to be postponed for a week

and now will be held on Wednesday 21st. This is due to Sutton

United having to rearrange a fixture for the 14th.

Many thanks for all those who attended last month‟s meeting

with a good number in attendance. This makes everyone‟s

efforts worth while when we have these numbers turning up.

Long may it last and thanks to Tim Lawrence, our guest speaker,

who gave a superb presentation.

Congratulations to all those who have received County Semi-

Finals and Finals. The society have been well represented this

year and all those who have been awarded for their hard work

can be found elsewhere in TL‟s. Also congratulation to those

who have gained promotion. I‟ve not yet seen a defined list but

have heard on the grapevine that a couple of our members have

been successful. Well done to those.

I‟m getting requests from the County Mentor‟s Coordinators,

looking for members to mentor newly qualified referees for their

first 6 games. This will involve making contact with them,

guiding them where to go to join leagues and maybe getting to

see them once or twice. There‟s nothing worse than qualifying

and not knowing what to do next. If you fancy being a mentor,

get in touch with me.

Just one more appeal to you all: Please could you support the

RA Grand Prize Draw. Not only could you be in with a chance of

winning £5,000 but half of all that is raised is returned to the

Society. Thank you to all those who took tickets from me on the

evening - please remember to bring them back to the next

meeting - and those wishing to purchase some tickets please

contact myself.

As always the Committee are looking for suggestions so please

let anyone know your thoughts.

I look forward to seeing you all on the 21st March at Gander

Green Lane.

TOUCHLINES is published by the Sutton Referees’ Society.

Editor: Mike Coen

Email: mikecoen@blueyonder.co.uk

The reproduction of articles and news is welcomed by the Society.

They would, however, like to receive a copy of those publications

which reproduce any of our articles, either in whole or in part.

The opinions expressed in TOUCHLINES merely reflect the views

of the authors and are not binding in any way on the editor or

any official.

Front cover photo:

An all-Sutton Affair:

Surrey Sunday Senior Cup QF Jan 2012:

Simeon Potter (ref), Mike Coen (red flag)

and Toby Westlake (yellow flag). 2

Simeon

3

Hello Everyone!!

It seems that I spoke too soon! No

sooner had February‟s Touchlines

gone out, before temperatures

plunged, blizzards hit and a mini-

freeze reminded us all that football is

a winter sport.

We flew out for the Guernsey game

on a balmy Saturday morning and

flew back over a frozen landscape

barely 24 hours later. A moment of

comedy ensued when, following a

fifty-minute flight, the plane-load of

passengers remained stranded on

board for a further 30 minutes while

airport staff attempted to clear a 25-

yard strip of frozen walkway using

just a single broom and a wooden

pallet. „Ealf „n‟ Safety, innit? At least

it only lasted for a couple of weeks

and the threatened repeat of the

snowy conditions seems to have

gone away (I‟m touching wood, I‟m

touching wood).

Talking of Guernsey: Any Combined

Counties officials who have decided

not to make themselves available for

those fixtures, I would urge to

reconsider, as you are looked after

exceedingly well and the large

crowds (over 1,000 for most games)

make the whole occasion an

experience to be savoured.

On a personal note, with the end of

the season not a million miles away, I

was very happy when a letter arrived

from Surrey, letting me know I‟ve

been awarded a role as Assistant

Referee in the Intermediate County

Cup Final. Even more pleased when

I found I‟m on the line to our

esteemed chairman in the semi-final

of the Sunday Senior County Cup as

well.

See you on the park,

or at Gander Green

Lane.

Mike.

Editor’s Notes From the Chair

Dear Colleagues,

Many thanks for all those hardy souls who ventured out on a

bitter evening to attend the February meeting. We had a great

turn out of members when Tim Lawrence from the County FA

came to visit us.

Tim spent much of his time explaining and discussing topics

ranging from assessments, promotions, cup finals and law

application. He also showed us detailed figures which

highlighted the rise in the number of active referees within the

county and how, over the past four seasons, it has developed.

Tim had to field quite a few questions from our Wayne and at

times it was a little like watching the Chuckle Brothers in action.

Talking about the Chuckle Brothers, is it just me or does

anybody else think that the current Middlesbrough manager

Tony Mowbray is a dead ringer for brother Barry?

The end of January and the start of February brought winter

back with a vengeance. Heavy snowfall was soon followed by

plummeting temperatures which resulted in most matches being

called off for a period of a week or two. With this in mind,

referees‟ secretaries will be busily re-appointing to these games

when they are re-arranged, so please make their lives a little

easier by keeping them updated as to your availability.

As Simeon mentioned at the February meeting, it is my

intention to step down as Chairman at the end of this season

along with my role as Sutton United liaison officer. I feel after

four years in the role somebody else should take over, as all

societies need to change and evolve to keep them fresh. If

nobody puts themselves forward I would be willing to continue

for another season as Chairman but I really do feel that our

society would benefit if a differing perspective was brought to

the table.

I have always felt that the role of the Sutton United liaison

officer should be filled by a “senior” member of the society in

which I mean somebody who is a current level 4 or above.

They would be the person who is responsible for appointing

officials to pre-season matches at Gander Green Lane (which is

the primary function of the role) and they need to have their

finger on the pulse as to which members are actively refereeing

and assisting. I have been a level 5 for some time now and I do

think that one of our current “system” referees would be better

suited for this task.

Hope to see many of you on the 14th at what I hope will be

another fine evening of debate and entertainment.

Kindest regards.

Barrie (The Chair)

Sutton‟s Super Refs

Simeon Potter

Surrey Saturday Premier Cup - SF Dorking Wanderers -v- Cobham

Premier League Reserves Chelsea Res -v- Fulham Res

Surrey Saturday Senior Cup – QF Walton & Hersham -v- Corinthian Casuals (4th Official)

Isthmian Premier League Concord Rangers -v- Leatherhead

Barrie Gale

Surrey Sunday Senior Cup - SF Lambeth All Stars-v- FC Camberley Sun 4th Mar

Matt Ackerman

Morden & District Intmdt Cup - QF Wandsworth All Stars -v- Grand Drive Sun 19th Feb

Surry Intmdt Western League Cup – SF Chobham Burymead Res -v- Worpleden Phoenix Res Sat 10th Mar

Mike Coen

Surrey Sunday Senior Cup - SF Lambeth All Stars -v- FC Camberley (Assistant) Sun 4th Mar

Surrey Saturday Intmdt Cup Final TBD -v- TBD (Assistant) Wed 25th Apr

Tom Ellams

Combd Cties Prem Challenge Cup SF Tue 27th Mar

Surrey Sunday Senior Cup Final TBD -v- TBD Wed 2nd May

Pete Rogers

Surrey Sunday Senior Cup Final TBD -v- TBD (Reserve Referee) Wed 2nd May

Matt Westlake

Surrey Sunday Intermediate Cup Final TBD -v- TBD Tue 17th Apr

Toby Westlake

Surrey U15 Youth Cup SF Sheen Lions -v- Farnborough Elite (Assistant) Sun 11th Mar

Surrey U16 Youth Cup SF Corinthian Casuals -v- Guildford (Assistant) Sun 25th Mar

Barrie Whittington

Surrey Sunday Intmdt Cup Final TBD -v- TBD (Assistant) Tue 17th Apr

Jamie Whittington

Surrey U16 Youth Cup Final TBD -v- TBD (Assistant) Sun 26th Apr

Rod van Niekerk

Surrey Sunday Veterans Cup SF Sporting Kitz -v- Ascot United Sun 11th Mar

Combined Counties Challenge Cup SF Colliers Wood Utd -v- Banstead Athletic (Assistant) Mon 26th Mar

West Fulham F.L. Intermediate Cup SF Jolly Gardeners -v- AFC Pagliaccio Sun 4th Mar

Congratulations on Promotion: Matt Ackerman 6-5

Barrie Whittington 7-6

Aaron Goodwin 7-6 4

Surrey‟s Cup Final Officials

Saturday Date Venue REFEREE Assistant 1 Assistant 2 Reserve Referee Assessor

Senior 09/05/2012 Sutton United Gavin Ward Andy Mawby Greg Read John O'Brien Colin Henderson

Premier 29/03/2012 Carshalton Athletic Shaun Scott Ryan O'Sullivan Tim Dowdeswell Dave Sheldrake Vic Skilton

Intrmdt 25/04/2012 Leatherhead Jason Connolly Anand Desai Mike Coen Rick Letheren Gordon Harrison

Junior 10/05/2012 South Park Simon Craig Bob Dick Nick Arbuckle David Thompson Paul Gumbrell

Lwr Jnr 10/04/2012 Merstham Harrison Read Terry Kirk Cliff Angol Eric Strange Lee Cable

Sundays

Senior 02/05/2012 Met. Police Tom Ellams Gerry Kehoe Dane Johnston Peter Rogers Denis Hayes

Intrmdt 17/04/2012 Sutton United Matthew Westlake Barrie Whittington Scott Blake Nick Clark Phil Sherlock

Junior 18/04/2012 Camberley Town Carl Smith Iain Bryant Colin Wood Ian Brash Mike Reilly

Lwr Jnr 24/04/2012 Horley Town Dale Leacock Dan Edwards Andy Keats Steve Maher Les Edwards

Veterans 11/04/2012 Walton Casuals Tim Gilmore Alan Briggs David Lawton Dave Osborn Steve Maguire

Women 04/04/2012 Leatherhead Phil Jones Emily Hodgkinson Colin Billin Tristan Greaves Rod Wood

Youth

U18 Mdwk 28/03/2012 Godalming Town Brian Fish Robert Hughes Jamie Rolland Gareth Mays Vic Rolland

Under 18 01/05/2012 Westfield Craig Mellin Martin Etheridge Brian Slyfield Andy Flynn Phil Rush

Under 16 29/04/2012 Chipstead Dave Simms James Whittington Philip Sung Phil Gilmore Dave Sheldrake

Under 15 29/04/2012 Chipstead Steve Worsley Lewis Safrin Ashley Francis Jeremy Fallows

Under 14 29/04/2012 Chipstead Gareth Heighes Connor Fanelli Will Obeney Patrick Haugh

Under 13 25/03/2012 South Park Josh Godfrey Ian Lacey Juris Ozolins Ron Evans

Under 12 06/05/2012 Redhill James Humphries Sam Hanney Stephen Matthews John Jupp

Under 11 22/04/2012 Chessington & Hook Shelby Elson Dominic Lewis Alex Hanney Andrea Wheel

Under 10 13/05/2012 Chipstead Tom Ellsmore

Girls

Under 16 06/05/2012 Redhill Jenny Stuart Charlotte Cox John Morgan David Letley

Under 15 22/04/2012 Chessington & Hook Rachel Marlow James Kelly Sebastian Chmielinski Michael Abbott

Under 14 25/03/2012 South Park Peter Bain Clayton De Netto Thomas Diver Tony Gray

Under 13 25/03/2012 South Park Chris Mackie Farah Lukki Banton Paul Saunders

Under 12 13/05/2012 Chipstead Charlie Robins

Under 11 13/05/2012 Chipstead Max Chillman

Under 10 13/05/2012 Chipstead Alex Norfolk

5

Congratulations to all.

CAPTIONS PLEASE !!!

H a v e y o u a n a m u s i n g c a p t i o n f o r t h e p i c t u r e ?

Email your thoughts to me and I‟ll put the best efforts in the next issue.

Neil Sitch

- The greens were furious when the ref booked 3 for

having incorrect kit colours.

- The refs agreed that the new instruction on painting 9v9

lines within an 11v11 pitch could cause some confusion.

Mike Coen

- Yes! I would say that definitely counts as jewellery

- Sorry! It always happens! It‟s just nerves!

David Armitage

- Whoever did the marking out on this pitch needs

sacking!

John Martin

- If it‟s four against two then we get kick off.

… a n d L a s t M o n t h ’ s O f f e r i n g s

Brian Donnelly

- Who is going to tell Simeon he should be in the

Veteran's team?

Barrie Whittington

- Number 11 says, “Simeon! It's the Hokey Cokey. You

put your left arm in and your left arm out...not your right

leg...”

- CAPTION COMPETITION CANCELLED – It‟s now „Spot

the Ball‟!!

Peter Watson

- I thought you were bringing the ball!

Fez Barnard

- Did the whole of the ball go over the whole of the line?

- That's the penalty mark!

6

Marathon Man – Barrie Whittington

They used to call me “yo-yo man” at work. It was a reference to my weight and not my prowess

with a toy on the end of a piece of string. I could always readily lose weight if I put my mind to it

but unfortunately, all too quickly, piled it back on again. My idea of a Marathon was the chocolate

bar! That was until I discovered running.

I had never thought of myself as a runner – far from

it...more like a couch potato – but taking up this activity

has changed my lifestyle completely. I was inspired by

one of my older brothers, Jeff, who took up

jogging/running over 5 years ago after having a pace

maker fitted. Since then he has run many marathons at

home and abroad and ran the London Marathon last

year for the first time. He and his son Russell will be in

the next Guinness Book of Records for being the fastest

father and son to run a marathon (combined times).

Jeff‟s other son Harvey is running the VLM this year too.

I decided to start running about 3 years ago. My son,

Jamie, decided not to play organised football any more,

so I decided that I would get more involved in refereeing.

My opportunities to referee before then were limited

because I was always involved with Jamie‟s teams. I

decided that I would run to get fit for refereeing. What I

didn‟t realise at the time is that it would completely

change my lifestyle. When I started out, I couldn‟t run Roundshaw Downs 5km Parkrun

Saturday mornings ** – Nonsuch Park Parkrun being my

home venue. After getting my 5km Personal Best down

to just over 23 minutes, I decided to run a half marathon. I

completed the Southend Half Marathon in June 2011,

finishing in a time of 1:50:48

After watching my brother and nephew in the London

Marathon last year, I decided to enter the race this year

myself – unfortunately I did not get in but I had also

applied for a place in the Brighton Marathon on Sunday

April 15th and got lucky with a place. So I will be lining up

with 18,000 other nutters runners for my own virgin

marathon (but unfortunately not London). My training is

all geared to me finishing inside 4 hours 30 minutes but of

course my main target is to just finish. With hindsight, it

probably was not a sensible idea to train for a marathon

and go for promotion during the same period though!!

Continued on Page 8...

7 After Southend Half Marathon

around the block without walking but over time my stamina and fitness improved no end. Having

started out at a weight of just shy of 16 stone I am now holding steady at the 12 stone mark. I run

anywhere between 20 to 50km per week and I regularly run home from work (Waterloo to Sutton)

which is around the 20km mark. I have never been so fit. I don‟t fall asleep in the evenings

anymore, have much more energy and, with all the calories I burn, the odd pint or six has no effect

on my weight. I run as often as I can at local parkruns ,which are free 5km timed events held on

Is the Pitch Fit for Play? Submitted by John Martin

...Continued from page 7

I will be running the race in memory of my dear father Percy - who passed away 8 years ago - and

will be raising funds for the Macmillan Cancer Support Charity. My Dad, brother Bob and Aunt

Sylvie all benefitted from their excellent work.

If you would like to donate then you can do so via the following link – any amount would be most

welcome:

https://www.justgiving.com/Barrie-Whittington

I‟m off for a run along the embankment!

Barrie

**For more details on parkrun visit http://www.parkrun.org.uk

8

Guidance for Referees

Before the start of every match you, as referee, have to determine whether or not the pitch is fit for

play. AFA Referee Development Officer John Cooke has issued the following guidance to help

you make decisions in cases where the state of the pitch puts a fixture in doubt.

Laws of the Game

While you are responsible for making decisions about the fitness of pitches, FIFA have stated that

in their opinion you cannot be held liable for events following your ruling. Under Law 5 the

International FA Board have made the following decision:

A referee is not held liable for:

• any kind of injury suffered by a player, official or spectator

• any damage to property of any kind

• any other loss suffered by any individual, club, company, association or other body which is due

or which may be due to any decision which he may take under the terms of the Laws of the Game

or in respect of the normal procedures required to hold, play and control a match.

Criteria

Referees make their own decisions on the suitability of a pitch for play. This is based on 2 criteria:

1. Is there a danger of injury to players caused by the pitch, the weather or environment?; and

2. Would the game degenerate into a farce?

This covers the risk of turning an ankle over, increased likelihood of damage/injury on impact with

the ground, ability of players to keep their feet and make challenges, or to control the ball and for

its movement to be predictable. Puddles of water may restrict or affect the natural path or bounce

of the ball.

Continued on Page 9...

...Continued from page 8

Provision of the Pitch

The first thing to determine is which pitch the match is to be played on. This may sound obvious

but at venues where there are multiple pitches there may be a choice. In almost all cases it is the

home club‟s responsibility to provide the pitch and so it is the home Club who should identify which

pitch is to be used for the match and inspected by you.

The Referee’s Decision

The referee‟s decision is final unless a groundsman calls a game off (see John Martin‟s comments

later in this issue) in which case the allotted pitch is no longer available and you have no decision

to make. However, a sensible referee will take into account the views of both teams in as much as

it would be a brave or foolish referee who insists on playing when both sides do not want to play.

Even if both teams want to play but the referee considers the pitch unfit, then he/she should refuse

to sanction play.

Beware Influences

You will need to make your own judgement and it may be helpful to listen to the views of players,

captains, managers and groundsmen. Always remember that the final decision rests with you and

that the decision must be made by assessing the state of the pitch against the two criteria set out

above.

It is fair to say that some may be motivated to try to influence you for reasons not connected with

the two criteria. For example if a team has a weak side out they might be looking for a

postponement while their opponents might press you to declare the pitch fit. Bear this in mind when

listening to the views of others.

Making and Delivering the Judgement

Get to the ground early if there is any risk of the game not being played. Tell both teams that the

decision is yours alone and is final. Make a point of inspecting the pitch alone to avoid the charge

of being unduly influenced by one team. Take into account possible changes to the weather but

have an eye on the clock to ensure play can finish with at least the minimum time allowed played.

Delay or Suspend?

Play can be delayed or suspended ,as well as just being abandoned, if it is possible that the

conditions may change within say an hour. A local weather forecast is valuable in advance and

use local knowledge (for example the groundsman) for views on drainage, exposure to sun, etc.

Will the Pitch be Damaged ?

If a pitch is playable but would result in the churning up of the surface to the extent that it would

take weeks to recover, then it is sensible to take that into consideration. Not playing for one week

may save the pitch from being unplayable for a number of weeks afterwards.

Testing

It can be useful to put some boots on and to run and kick a ball on the surface if there is any doubt.

Inability to keep your feet or to predict the bounce of the ball would be indications that play is not

possible.

Communication

Make your own mind up and then summon both captains/managers/secretaries and inform them of

Continued on Page 10... 9

...Continued from page 9

your decision and the reasons. Be firm, don‟t allow the possibility of changing your mind. Ask them

to go back and tell their players. If the game is off, accept your match fee/expenses if competition

rules allow and leave the ground straight afterwards. Don‟t wait for, or enter into, a debate.

Allow for the Possibility of Deteriorating Conditions

If you give the green light for the game it is wise to tell both teams that, if conditions worsen in your

opinion, you will have no choice but to suspend/abandon the game regardless of the time and the

score.

Wanted - Sutton United Liaison Officer

As I am relinquishing my roles at the end of the current season, I thought I would provide a

resume of what the SUFC liaison officer’s role incorporates.

Barrie Gale

Quite a straightforward role:

Main objective is to act as a contact point for Sutton United Football Club for the appointment of

match officials for various fixtures throughout the season.

The majority of these fixtures are pre-season games taking

place at Gander Green Lane and to a lesser extent mid / end

of season fixtures that may be of a sponsor and / or

testimonial nature. In past years we have also supplied

officials to the club when they have held trialist days during

the Summer.

Sutton United contact the Society liaison officer (hopefully in

good time) providing them with the match details (time, date

and details of the opposition) and the liaison officer would

then seek match officials who are ideally Society members to

referee and assist on the fixtures.

The members appointed to these fixtures receive no match

fee, as the ongoing agreement we have with the club is not

to charge them for officiating these games. In return, the

Society get the use of the club‟s facilities at Gander Green

Lane for meetings free of charge.

The appointment of officials by the liaison officer on behalf of the club is determined by the strength

/ standard of the teams involved (especially the away team). Generally the referee will have to be

or have been a Contributory league referee or above (level 1,2 or 3) although the assistants can

come from a more wide range of levels.

Anybody who puts themselves forward to “assist” the Society in this way helps us maintain the

relationship with the club and the Committee fully appreciates their offer of assistance.

“E?...Erm...Elephant?” Paul Gascoigne responds to Anne Robinson‟s question, „In the equation E=MC2, what does the

letter „E‟ stand for?‟ on a Weakest Link special on the BBC.

10

.…in the Referee’s Opinion….

Your Thoughts, Questions and Comments

Good Morning Mike ...

I'm on Mal Davies's e-mail list (along with about two million others I guess) and he has sent, for

the first time, your superb Touchline magazine - the best I've seen in forty years as an RA member.

Would you be so kind as to add my name to your mailing list please because I'm sure our forty

members (including Mike Dean who attends when he can) will find it brilliant reading?

Many Thanks

Jack Blakemore

President, Wirral RA

Dear All

On behalf of our President David Elleray and RA Board members we are pleased to inform

you that the new RA website is now live.

To log on please go to www.refereesassociation.co.uk

We hope you will be pleased with the new site which is far more user friendly than the old

site.

If you have any positive or negative feedback please contact Eddie McGrath ( RA Board

member) who is looking after the site on eddie.mcgrath1@blueyonder.co.uk who will look

forward to receiving your comments.

We would like to thank Perry Gascoigne and Sarah Watkin for the vast amount of time spent

building the new site, which we hope you will be pleased with.

Kind Regards

Karen Vince

Administration Officer

Having submitted the above article – Is the Pitch Fit for Play? - John

Martin wishes to consider a resulting issue, particularly around „the

referee‟s decision is final, unless a groundsman calls a game off‟:

It seems that the decision on whether a field of play is fit more and

more being taken away from the referee and being decided by

Councils - some of whom are calling games off on the WEDNESDAY

in order to inform the council groundsman that there will be no

overtime at the weekend - or clubs that have no regular ground staff

and have not been able to mark the pitch because of mud, easily

removed puddles, lack of blue dye for lines or simply any incentive to

get games played

11

The red keeper is getting frustrated with his strikers inability to score, even

though the ball hasn't been in his half all game. He has previously been

cautioned for dissent. Having decided he has had enough, while the ball is

in the blue penalty area, he runs off the pitch down the tunnel for an early

bath.

Suddenly, the ball breaks from the blue penalty area and blues mount an

attack. Regardless of the 4th official’s protests, the red manager orders his

substitute keeper onto the pitch. He runs directly to his area, arriving just in

time to tip a long-range blue effort over his own crossbar.

The blues are irate and surround you to protest.

What do you do and how do you restart the game?

Submitted by Fez Barnard

Fez himself says: “While I initially thought 2nd yellow for the keeper, the new keeper wouldn‟t be

carded as the lotg indicate only one card for swapping keepers with ref‟s knowledge. Additionally,

an outfielder would need to be sacrificed (as you need a keeper). The restart would be a corner. I

now realise that the game cannot continue without a keeper. So when the first keeper walked off,

the game should have been stopped. The restart would be a drop ball because the red stopped

play (the AR should have indicated this to the ref). The second yellow and the outfielder sacrifice

still applies however.”

Mike Coen agrees that “The assistant should have brought the lack of keeper to the ref's attention.

In any case, the ref should stop the game as soon as he becomes aware that a keeper is not

'legally' on the pitch. At that point, the first keeper gets a Yellow for leaving without permission

(hence red for second yellow). We also have a substitute who has entered the fray without

permission, so the second keeper would also get a Yellow for entering the FOP. No further action

would be taken against the second goalkeeper. You don't stop play automatically when a sub

enters illegally but only if they interfere with play (unless - as noted above - you realise there is no

GK legally on the field). In this case, the second keeper has interfered at the point when he saved

the shot so, play will restart at that point (6-yard line) with a drop-ball. Before the restart, the

second keeper will have to leave the field and either an outfield player take over in goal or an

outfield player be replaced by the substitute goalkeeper.”

Alan Donovan thinks that this is a “Minefield” but suggests: “Caution and send off the goalkeeper

who has left the field of play. Caution the goalkeeper who has come on. Have the team take a

player off to replace the goalkeeper who has come on as substitute (as he cannot substitute the

goalkeeper who has been sent off). Restart the game with a corner.”

Barrie Gale thinks: “If all the situations he comes up with have actually happened to Fez whilst

refereeing, he is one unlucky mother and, if not, he really does have a fertile imagination.” He then

goes on to say: “Best deal with the obvious first: The red goalkeeper - having left the field of play

12

Dear Mike

I am writing to say you have produced another excellent issue of Touchlines, some of the

questions I think would create excellent debate in RA meetings.

Keep up the good work.

Regards Colin Hewitt

Continued on Page 13...

…Continued from Page 12

13

without permission - would have to be issued with a second caution and therefore dismissed. As

he is already in the shower, whether you want to wave a card in his direction I will leave to your

discretion but maybe a word of explanation to all and sundry would be a wise move. Now it starts

to get tricky! The laws of the game state that both goalkeepers must be present on the field of play

for a game to go ahead / continue / restart so as soon as you realise that the red keeper has gone

AWOL you should stop the game. What action do you take? There is a myriad of options here. I

would personally instruct the red manager to leave the technical area (if there was one) and leave

worrying about how to word the misconduct report until I sat down later and thought about it a little.

With regards to the substitute keeper, I would have no hesitation in cautioning him for entering the

field of play without permission and then issue him with a second caution for unsporting behaviour.

The re-start? Drop ball. Because, as already stated, no goalkeeper = no play. This would have to

be from where the ball was in play when you first became aware that you were a keeper light.”

Rod van Niekerk keeps it short: “2nd Yellow the first keeper (leaving fop without permission).

Yellow the sub keeper (entering fop without permission). Re-start with a drop ball (outside agent).”

[Rod‟s non-referee workmate - Tom Varney from Wimbledon Land Rover Service – thinks: “Re-

start with a penalty and red card the sub keeper.”]

Neil Sitch wonders: “Where is the ref whilst all this is going on?” before stating: “Clearly we have a

2nd yellow for leaving the field of play for the 1st keeper. I'm sure 99 times out of a hundred you

would have stopped play there. The new keeper could not then remain on the field unless he is a

substitute for an outfield player. The 2nd keeper has entered the field of play without permission,

so let‟s give him a yellow. You should have stopped play as he entered the field, so it's an indirect

free kick to the attacking team at that point but I suppose if you have not acted soon enough, it's a

corner. Not sure that you can punish the 2nd keeper twice for „unsporting conduct‟ but I don't think

you can, so you would have to punish the first offence and leave it at one yellow.“ He then adds:

“Really, at the end of the game ( if you get that far), I would compile a report to the appropriate

authority and hand in my badge!!”

Peter Watson declares this: “Interesting!” before advising: “Stop play. Caution the ‟new‟

goalkeeper for unsporting behavior. Ask him to leave the field and then award an indirect free kick

to the blues where the ball was when play stopped. It‟s likely there'll be more cautions issued to

the defending side about your decision. When possible, also caution the „old‟ goalkeeper for

leaving the field without permission.”

Tom Ellams is the sole responder who would “Stop play and award a penalty kick.” Tom adds: “I'd

then show the original keeper a 2nd yellow for leaving the FoP. I'd also caution the sub goalkeeper

for entering the FoP, as well as showing him a straight red card for DOGSO (as he wasn't 'officially'

in goal at the time), leaving the reds with 9 men and a penalty against them... I bet the original

keeper‟s popular.”

Daniel Rukstelis (Kingston Society) says: “In Rugby they have a „penalty try‟ where a try is

awarded to a team even if they didn't score ... no such thing in football. You will need to be well-

versed on those long and winding „interference guidelines‟ under Law 3 and here I would follow the

guideline, „If a substitute or a substituted player enters the field of play without permission‟. The

substitute keeper would be cautioned, and he would have to leave the field of play in order to enter

according to the required substitution procedure. Restart is an indirect free kick „for the opposing

team from the position of the ball when play was stopped‟. And what was the position of the ball

when play was stopped? In this case play stopped as the ball was tipped over the crossbar; so at

the goal line of the Red team was the position of the ball and therefore I would follow Law 13's

„parallel to the goal line‟ guidance:

Continued on Page 14...

An indirect free kick awarded inside the goal area must be taken on the goal area line parallel

to the goal line at the point nearest to where the infringement occurred .

The home team make their final substitution but, as

the sub runs onto the pitch, he pulls up having torn

his hamstring. Play has not restarted and his

manager is desperate to cancel the change.

What do you do?

...Continued from page 13

“Before the restart you would still need to advise the Red manager that his original keeper has

been cautioned for leaving the field of play without permission and, as it is his 2nd caution, he has

been sent-off. Therefore his team is now down to 10 men and he cannot make a substitution for

the player sent off. He can however make a substitution for any one of the remaining 10 players.”

Daniel then asks: “Would not a „penalty goal‟ be so much easier ... and a restart with a kick-off at

the centre circle???”

Barrie Gale thinks: “This one is quite straightforward. As the substitute becomes active after he

has crossed the touchline, the substitution has to stand and cannot be reversed even if he has

entered the field of play BEFORE the substituted player has left it. Not so easy in „the parks‟ to

manage but this is the sort of thing which shows why a substitute must not enter the field of play

until the replaced player has left it.”

Alan Donovan does not agree, saying: “Providing play has not restarted, I would allow the original

player to return.”

Fez Barnard finds this a “Good question” and points out that: “Law 3 states that the substitution is

completed when a substitute enters the field of play and, from that moment, the substitute

becomes a player and the player he has replaced becomes a substituted player. Therefore as the

substitute has already run onto the pitch, the substitute process has been completed. The

substitute - now player - cannot be substituted as all substitutes have been used.”

Grant Sheavyn concurs: “Once he has entered the FOP and the other player has left, the

substitute is deemed as complete. Therefore he should limp around as best he can!”

Mike Coen simply states: “Substitution was complete as soon as the player entered the field. It‟s

tough but there‟s no way back.”

Rod van Niekerk also advises: “If he has entered the FOP, the substitution has been made. They

must play with 10 men.” [Rod‟s mate Tom Varney says, “Allow another sub”.]

Neil Sitch is in like mind to most responders: “The moment he comes on the pitch he is a player so

technically can't be substituted again.” He does then add: “If this was a pub game I might be

tempted to be more sympathetic!”

Peter Watson says: “Presumably the substituted player has left the field, in which case the

substitution has been completed so the change may not be cancelled. The fact that the game has

not been restarted is irrelevant.”

Daniel Rukstelis (Kingston Society) thinks it is: “Poor management / coaching that the player

didn't warm up properly and sadly for that manager the law states the following:”

He advises that there is: “No reference in law about play being restarted. If I was a TV or League

Ref, I would follow the law and not allow a fourth substitution. As I only ref in Sat / Sun amateur

14

The substitution is completed when a substitute enters the field of play

Continued on Page 15...

...Continued from page 14

football, do I follow the law or go with common sense? I think I would still follow the law, as the

opposition (if they lost) might file an official protest and have the match replayed.”

Keith Hackett says: “Unfortunately the substitution is complete and cannot be reversed. The Law

defines it thus: „The substitution is completed when a substitute enters the field of play.‟ So the

injured player cannot be replaced and the team go down to 10 men.”

A long pass heads for a striker who is

just offside. Before it reaches him, a

defender slides in and clears the ball

out towards the wing.

However, his clearance does not reach

the touchline and falls to another

striker who was also clearly in an

offside position when the initial pass

was played. He gathers the ball and

races clear.

Your assistant hesitates. Do you blow your whistle?

Alan Donovan is the first to respond: “In my opinion, if the player receiving the ball was offside

when the first pass was made, blow the whistle and award a free kick.”

Rod van Niekerk would also stop play but thinks it would be for: “Off-side against first attacker.”

Peter Watson would hit the whistle as well: “Yes – offside. Gaining an advantage by being in an

offside position when the ball was first played.”

Neil Sitch is the first to play on: “The ball has been played by the defender, so the 2nd striker

cannot be offside.” He acknowledges that it: “Might be difficult to sell this one. I would just hope

he misses!”

Mike Coen says: “Play on, as long as you think the defender has played the ball in a controlled

fashion (even if he has misplayed it) rather than it simply having rebounded from a block. As soon

as a defender „plays‟ the ball, the offside „clock‟ is reset and the attackers‟ positions when the ball

was originally played forward become irrelevant…and the very best of luck to your bench-side

assistant explaining that to the defending manager!”

Fez Barnard thinks that this also is a “Good question...” and also plays on: “You have 2 players in

offside positions. This is not an offence. A player is offside only when he becomes involved in

active play by interfering with play or a player. They are not. The defender slides in (you do not

say how far away from the striker he is, so let's assume he intercepts the pass a fair distance from

the striker) and kicks the ball away. This deliberate act unfortunately passes the ball to the far side

striker. As the defender has passed the ball to the striker he is not offside. Play continues.”

Daniel Rukstelis (Kingston Society) gives a well thought-out answer: “Both strikers were in an

offside position when the ball was kicked by their team-mate. They can stand in an offside position

the whole game if they want to, as long as (following on from the initial pass) they don't play the

ball or move to interfere with an opponent. In this case it all depends on how I (the ref) view the

actions of the defender, as he „slides in and clears‟ the ball out.

If I thought the defender made only a sliding block at the ball and it deflected towards the wing,

then I would blow the whistle as the ball has only deflected off the defender. Continued on Page 16...

15

…Continued from Page 15

But if I thought the defender was in control of the ball by sliding in, gathering the ball, and standing

up to whack it out towards the touchline, then he had control of the ball (next phase of play has

started) and he has made an error by not seeing the opposition striker. Here, I would not blow the

whistle; and if I was a top referee (which I am not) then I might remember to shout, „Play On -- No

Offside‟.”

Don’t Forget - Original YATR scenarios may be found

every Friday on the Guardian website, showing the

questions that will appear in the Observer the following

Sunday. The answers then appear on the Monday.

www.guardian.co.uk/football/you-are-the-ref

Bobby Charlton was a guest of Roberto Mancini at the Etihad Stadium

last weekend.

In the hospitality lounge after the game,Mancini asked Bobby,''How d'you

think the current City team would fare against the Utd team of 1968?''

Charlton replies, ''I think it'd be a close run thing...maybe a draw„.”

Mancini is walking away feeling very pleased with himself when Charlton

shouts across the room, ''Mind you! We haven't trained in 40 years!''

Thanks to Marcus Nicholson-Flaherty - XL.

Chatting to one of my fellow officials after a game, he said he was off

clubbing. I thought he was long-married and expressed my surprise,

followed by my commiserations when he revealed he was recently

divorced.

“Oh no – Don‟t worry”, he said. “It was all very amicable. I know this

because I changed my Facebook status to „I‟m getting divorced‟ and she

was the first one to click „Like‟”.

Adapted from Readers Digest – March 2012

16

Keith Hackett says: “Play on. Neither striker is offside:

a) The striker to whom the pass was aimed has not played or touched the ball, while

b) the striker who played the ball would only be penalised if he „gained an advantage from being in

that position‟.

By definition, „gaining an advantage‟ means he must have played the ball that rebounds to him off

an opponent‟. Here, the ball did not reach him via a rebound but via a deliberate action on the

defender's part. His interception deflected it to the striker by mistake‟”

I was supposed to be travelling to rural France to referee a weekend

tournament. Very late in the day, a series of freak winds wreaked havoc

across the area, uprooting trees and practically destroying the local

economy with the damage done in this cheese-producing region.

Practically all that was left was debris!

In a changing room the other day - just after my match had been

abandoned when persistent rain turned the pitch to a pudding – and got to

reminiscing about schooldays.

If it rained at school, we had to stay in for „Wetplay‟.

And if it was cold, we had to stay in and listen to this really dull band!

Trying to phone through with details of the abandoned game, I was

constantly losing signal. Eventually I had to use a land-line, so phoned

the Talk-Talk helpdesk.

I was waiting so long that when the chap picked up I suggested they

change the name to Hold-Hold!

Then I phoned my wife to tell her I would be home earlier than expected

(well – better safe than sorry!). She asked if I could call at the shop on

the way home and buy a carton of milk. “And if they have eggs, get six”,

she added.

So I arrived home with six cartons of milk.

“Why did you buy so much milk”, she asked me.

“Because they had eggs!”

Adapted from Readers Digest – March 2012

17

February’s Guest Speaker:Tim Lawrence – Surrey RDO

Tim Lawrence, Surrey‟s Referee Development Officer,

is known to most of us and arrived at our February

meeting ready to talk about Refereeing Numbers, the

Referee Promotion Scheme and (with season‟s end

fast approaching) some Cup Final Do‟s and Don'ts.

Tim started refereeing in 1972, attaining Level 4 in

1982 and Level 3 in 1989, which he retained for 10

seasons. In that time, as a member of the Sussex

County FA, he refereed 4 cup finals (including the

Senior Cup and Floodlight Cup) as well as an SCFA

Championship match. He has various other high-

profile matches on his CV but particularly remembers

Brighton -v- Chester in 1996, when, as fourth offficial,

he ran the line for 60 mins following injury to another

official on the game.

Tim became a Referee Instructor in 1982, a Licensed

Instructor in 1983 and an FA Tutor in 2005 (Now a

Level 4 Tutor). He also has qualifications and runs

courses at many levels.

He was the Sussex CFA CTO for 7 years and has

been the Surrey RDO since June 2008.

Tim started his presentation with some stats on

referee numbers over the last 5 seasons and also

figures on new referees being trained and numbers of

people taking on other roles within refereeing.

18

Season Level 1 – 8 Level 9 Total

2007/08 (Apr) 850 249 1203

2008/09 1004 173 1273

2009/10(Mar) 1032 200 1406

2010/11 1160 205 1456

2011/12 1234 183 1495

Increase 45.2% 24.3%

Referee Numbers (February)

Season 08/09 09/10 10/11 11/12

Trained 238 282 331 275

Completed 176 202 207 65

% 74% 72% 63% 24%

(31%)

Referees Trained

Season 08/9 09/10 10/11 11/12

Tutors 27 31 29 30 (2)

Assessors 64 64 70 67 (7)

Mentors 76 90 94 106 (12)

Coaches N/A N/A N/A 25

Other Roles

Continued on Page 19...

With the deadline for promotion applications being 29th February, Tim then moved onto the

Requirements of the Promotion Scheme:

In order to be considered for promotion, the R5 form needs to be submitted to County by the end of

February together with payment of £25. This payment has been introduced to dissuade „casual‟

applications (in 2010/11, 80 started but 35 had dropped out or been removed; some of these had

been assessed) and to assist in funding assessors and the In-Service Training provided.

Referees who are aged 18 and above must have an FA CRB before they can be registered and

registration for this season must take place before 15th May. In addition, they must already have

been registered for at least one complete year and - as a Level 6 or Level 7 referee - must have

officiated as a referee in a minimum of 20 games in one registration period before applying for

promotion

The promotion season runs from 1st March to the end of February and promotion candidates must

referee at least 20 games in the appropriate divisions of two recognized Leagues (details can be

found in the County FA handbook). A minimum of three of these matches must result in a written

assessment by FA Registered Assessor.

As well as the refereeing, the candidate must attend a Promotion Candidates‟ In Service Training

event and pass an examination on the Laws of the Game.

It is also expected that their correspondence should be of an acceptable level and that they attend

any hearings of which they may be a part.

...Continued from Page 18

19

Finally, Tim moved onto the Do’s and Don’ts when

involved in Cup Finals:

• Be fully prepared.

• Ensure you are fully up to date with County

FA/League Cup rules. Is there extra time? Should

there be penalties?

• You will be working as a team of Referee,

Assistant Referees and a Fourth Official. Ensure

your attitude is as it should be for your role.

• Know your Timetable on the day. Ensure you

arrive in good time for adequate preparation and

don‟t take on another game on the same day.

• Dress Code: Both on arrival (suited and booted)

and during the match itself (black-and-white, county

badge, new socks).

• There will be Team Sheets to deal with. Ensure

you know the procedure should there be a colour

clash between the teams / goalkeepers.

• Be ready for the pre-match presentation of Match

Officials and Teams.

• After the game, there will probably be hospitality

offered. Enjoy but don‟t overindulge, presenting a

professional image right through until your

departure.

Maccabi Haifa goalkeeper gets wind

assistance to score bizarre own goal Spotted by Neil Sitch on www.metro.co.uk – 1st March, 2012

Check the Net !!! Snippets pulled from the World Wide Web

Maccabi Haifa goalkeeper Assaf Mendes brought new meaning to the footballing cliché

'wind in your sails' when his clearance got caught by the wind and ended up in his own net.

The unfortunate stopper was taking part in a friendly match against Ukrainian team Dynamo Kiev,

ahead of an international fixture between Israel and the eastern European country.

Mendes could never have imagined he was about to score one of the most amazing own goals

ever captured on tape, though.

20

We're not sure if Mendes was stunned, or just

had poor reactions, but he was a bit on the slow

side - merely gesturing towards it too late as it

bobbled past him into the net.

Due to the severe conditions both teams had

agreed beforehand to play a shortened game of

60 minutes, but this was still enough time for

Dynamo Kiev to win 5-0.

The 28-year-old made a routine catch inside the

six-yard box and, due to the terrible conditions,

decided to launch it upfield instead of passing it

out of defence.

However, this proved a fatal mistake as the

Israeli's kick went almost straight up, got caught

by the high winds, and came hurtling back

towards him.

Afterwards, Mendes must have been wondering if six minutes, not 60, would have been safer...

Q&A with Referees’ Chief:

Mike Riley Spotted by Mal Davies on www.premierleague.com

What update are you providing to clubs and players with regards to tackling?

We convened a meeting between all the Select Group referees, the League Managers' Association,

the Professional Footballers' Association and the Premier League match delegates to try to come

In an exclusive Q&A, Mike Riley, general manager of the

Professional Game Match Officials Limited, discusses how a whole-

game approach has been used to address the debate on tackling in

the Barclays Premier League.

21

to some form of consensus as to what is a

careless tackle, what's reckless and what's an

excessive force tackle.

There is now a guidance note which has been

distributed to all clubs and match officials that

gives examples of tackles we consider to be

careless, reckless and using excessive force.

That's supported by a DVD, which goes

through all the main examples from the recent

debate.

This has been an issue for debate for the

last month, what has PGMOL been doing in

that time?

We canvassed the opinion of Premier League managers and we also brought in the Premier

League Match Delegates, who look at referee performance from a club perspective. We got a

broad section of views and looked at several examples on DVD.

In the meeting with the PFA and the LMA the debate over the Glen Johnson tackle alone lasted an

hour. There was a very interesting discussion on this as it is possible to make arguments for being

both reckless and/or excessive. So while there was a case for yellow, in the end there was stronger

case for red.

The Law (12) remains the same - but has the interpretation changed at all in recent years?

No, the interpretation hasn't changed. While we were looking at the DVD examples, it was

interesting that even with the benefit of different camera angles and slow motion, you still get a

range of views because sometimes it isn't black and white. But we want to establish some

principles that referees work to.

Continued on Page 22...

22

...Continued from Page 21

Should managers and players be in any doubt as to what the Law is regarding tackling?

We have worked hard with clubs for a long time. Before every season, a Premier League referee

goes into each club accompanied one of my management team and they go through examples of

yellow cards and red cards. But you get some very difficult decisions - ones that could go either

way.

The advice is to be mindful of your responsibilities towards your opponent and beware that if you

commit to a tackle, at speed, with intensity, by and large with two feet off the ground, then you run

the risk of being sent off.

How often do referees, players and managers get together to discuss issues such as

tackling?

In addition to the club meetings we hold a meeting with all

managers at the beginning of the season. I meet quarterly with

the LMA and PFA because we try collectively to have this

whole game approach towards officiating. We also talk with

managers regularly to understand their views and try and

impart the referees' view to them. We also meet informally

through workshops and events the LMA and the Premier

League set up.

How much guidance do you give your referees with a hot

topic like tackling?

We meet as a Select Group every two weeks and spend a long

time looking at current practice, trying to get even greater

"If you commit to a

tackle, at speed,

with intensity, by

and large with two

feet off the ground,

you run the risk of

being sent off”

Mike Riley

consistency and trying to improve performance. We have had very little issue with poor tackling

over the last two seasons because we have dealt with it appropriately.

We've now had a couple of difficult judgements, so we use the Select Group meetings to sit down

and go through the tackles. Ordinarily we do that just as a group of referees, but one of the steps

forward this time is that the LMA and the PFA have got involved and we have had a whole game

dialogue.

Is it possible to have the consistency people crave? Is it the case referees can interpret the

Law differently or is it that no two incidents are the same?

A tackle happens in a blink of an eye and in that second, the referee must consider lots of factors.

Was it careless? Did the player show a lack of regard for his opponent's safety? Or did he use

excessive force? You have also got the state of the pitch, the conditions and the state of the game.

A lot of it comes down to where the referee is positioned. You can see why referees don't have a

uniform interpretation.

How do you measure consistency?

The Premier League Match Delegate scheme uses former players and former managers to critique

the performances of referees. It's been invaluable in allowing us to compare how referees are

performing and to identify issues that we need to target for our training.

In addition to that we use our technical match assessors, who are former referees, who will

appraise the referee's performance in each game. We also use ProZone and for all the Premier

League matches that have it installed, we can go through the whole DVD, we can look at all the

ProZone analysis and we can compare events game to game, referee to referee, so there's a

wealth of information we collect.

Continued on Page 23...

...Continued from Page 22

"We should

recognise that we

have a great crop of

referees at Premier

League level and

have among our

ranks some of the

best referees in the

world"

Mike Riley

Do managers get any chance to comment on the performance of officials?

The great strength of the Premier League Match Delegate system is that the delegate will speak to

both managers after the game. So you have the view of the delegate and both managers. The

scheme was brought in about six years ago and there is now a very considered appreciation of

how referees perform.

What is the process for retrospective action?

If an incident has not been seen by match officials, the referee gets asked by the FA what action

they would have taken had they seen it. They review the DVD footage and then come to a

conclusion. If a red card would have been the outcome, the player gets charged.

Does it frustrate you that good decisions are always overshadowed by bad ones?

Referees want to walk off the field at the end of a game with nobody talking about them. But it's a

game that polarises opinions and we accept that when we get decisions wrong, we'll be criticised

for it. Nobody hurts more than the referee when you are driving away from a ground, knowing that

you've made a mistake.

We never get the appreciation for the good decisions because the standard is so high and people

expect us to get them right - for example, ProZone data says that assistant referees got 99.3% of

their decisions correct last season. Referees make about 250 decisions a game and very often all

we talk about is one or two decisions that people don't agree with. We should recognise that we

have a great crop of referees at Premier League level and have among our ranks some of the best

referees in the world.

Is the number of correct decisions made by referees increasing?

It has increased in each of the last three seasons and the

challenge is to keep that trend going. The match delegates,

who are independent of PGMOL, suggested that last season

referees got 92% of their major decisions right.

With the pace of the game increasing, is it getting

harder to referee Premier League matches?

Compared to five years ago, players in the Premier League

do 20% more high intensity running and sprinting and this

season they are making 9% more tackles than last year.

Year on year the game gets faster, more skilful and more

exciting, so refereeing has to keep pace with that.

In the last three years, the referees' fitness has gone up

faster than the players' - referees now do more high-intensity

running and more sprinting than all the players - because we need to be able to get in the right position to make the right decisions. All our training is geared to

improving standards so that we can provide the right service to the Premier League because we

know as a competition, it gets better year by year.

What would you say the relationship is like with players and the officials on the pitch?

The referees will say it is excellent. The proof is that in the last four years the disciplinary data has

got better. Initiatives like Get On With The Game were designed to say to players: 'You take

responsibility for the way you behave on pitch'. We now have less confrontation between players

and referees because captains work to keep their own players out of trouble by speaking with the

referee off the ball. It's great credit to both the players and the referees. 23

24

A linesman in the Belgian top flight has become a laughing stock after his theatrical

reaction to being struck by a missile during a match.

Assistant referee Michele Scatorchia was running the line during the match between Lierse and

Zulte Waregem when he was struck by something thrown from the crowd.

Linesman Floored by Piece of Cardboard Spotted by Mal Davies on eurosport.yahoo.com - 15th February, 2012

Going down as if he'd been bullseyed by a sniper on the

roof of the Herman Vanderpoortenstadion, Scatorchia's

reaction sparked terror that something awful had

happened among his fellow officials, the players on the

pitch and almost all of the 8,500 fans present.

The referee blew the whistle to stop the match

immediately, while several players rushed to the

linesman's aid as he writhed in agony on the turf, holding

his head in a manner to suggest that he was trying to stop

his brains from spilling out.

Thankfully, Scatorchia was completely unharmed - an escape that

seemed slightly less miraculous when it turned out that all he'd

been hit by was a cardboard tray used for carrying coffee cups.

The charitable explanation is that the shock of being struck

probably accounts for the official's extreme reaction.

But the baffled looks of the Lierse players say it all about a piece

of playacting that comes sadly too late for Scatorchia to earn

himself an Oscar nomination.

The Sunday Ref Spotted by Mal Davies on www.afootballreport.com

Telling the story of 69-year-old referee Francisco López, a man who continues to referee Sunday

league games after a life dedicated to football, The Sunday Ref is a short film focusing on López‟s

thoughts with regards to the world he lives in. This world, of course, is influenced by the beautiful

game, and he prefers to see it in its purest, most genuine form.

Francisco‟s goal is simple. As he states, “At my age, all I‟m looking for is the satisfaction of

refereeing, to do it as well as I can and for everyone to shake my hand at the end. This is my aim.”

Once a player in the reserves at Real

Zaragoza, López reflects on the varying,

yet constant role football has had in his

life. The style of the short film mixes

photography and video, placing emphasis

on moments in time captured in the past

and Francisco‟s Sunday refereeing

routine.

FOOTBALL FANS in the central African state of Congo were hurling accusations of witchcraft at

each other yesterday after a freak blast of lightning struck dead an entire team on the playing field

while their opponents were left completely untouched.

The bizarre blow by the weather to all 11 members of the football team was reported in the daily

newspaper L'Avenir in Kinshasa, the capital of Congo.

"Lightning killed at a stroke 11 young people aged between 20 and 35 years during a football

match," the newspaper reported . It went on to say that 30 other people had received burns at the

weekend match, held in the eastern province of Kasai. "The athletes from Basanga [the home

team] curiously came out of this catastrophe unscathed."

The suspicion that the black arts might be involved arose firstly because the opposing team

emerged unharmed and then again because the score at the time was a delicately balanced one

all.

"The exact nature of the lightning has divided the population in this region which is known for its

use of fetishes in football," the newspaper commented.

Much of the detail about the match remains obscure as the Congo - officially known as the

Democratic Republic of Congo - remains stricken by civil war between the government of Laurent

Kabila and rebel forces, backed by neighbouring Rwanda, in the east of the country.

Lightning Kills an Entire Football Team Spotted by Tim Lawrence in the Independent Online

Witchcraft is often blamed for adverse natural

phenomena throughout western and central Africa. It

is relatively frequent for football teams to hire

witchdoctors to place hexes on their opponents.

In a similar, though less deadly incident in South

Africa over the weekend, six players from a local

team were hurt when lightning struck the playing

field during a thunderstorm.

Lightning also struck a match in South Africa

Let Fair Play In Mexico Redeem Your Faith In The Game Spotted by Mal Davies on www.bleacherreport.com - 13th Feb, 2012

We present this as evidence that fair play and sportsmanship

still exist in soccer, despite people not shaking hands,

players diving, and people just generally being crappy to

each other entirely too much.

After his side won an ill-gotten penalty in a U-20 match

against Pachuca, Estudiantes manager Mauricio Gallaga

ordered his player to miss the shot on purpose. Bravo, sir.

“His philosophy about football was not unique...but it

was different from everybody else!” Ade Mafe, former Chelsea fitness coach, confuses everyone about Jose Mourinho in 2009. 25

Excessive diving is one of the curses of the modern game, but a referee at a Belgian lower league

match has gone way too far in trying to redress the balance.

Julien Lecomte of Hainaut provincial side RSC Templeuvois was playing in the clash against USG

Quevy last week when he was elbowed in the neck by an opponent and landed badly in the penalty

area. What happened next can be seen courtesy of clips from local TV:

Unconscious player sent off for diving Spotted by David Armitage on uk.eurosport.yahoo.com - 3rd March, 2012

The distinctly non-Flemish sounding word "knocked out" is clear on the original video, so you„d

soon have realised what happened: Lecomte, far from feigning injury, was seriously hurt, with

hospital scans later revealing that he had three displaced vertebrae and was suffering from

concussion.

With the player down and unmoving on the floor, clearly out cold, nobody at Templeuve's Stade de

la Providence thought that there was any question of play acting. Nobody that is except the

referee, who had clearly decided that Lecomte was trying to hoodwink him into giving a spot kick.

And having made his mind up, he showed almost admirable crassness in refusing to change his

mind: determined to punish the 'offender', he dished out a red card to the unconscious Lecomte

even as he was being carried off to hospital on a stretcher.

For what it's worth, 10-man Templeuvois ended up losing 2-1 to remain second in the table, while

USG Quevy's victory saw them climb to fifth.

“I played with Gary at Newcastle.......

......We called him „pilot light‟ as he never went out” Chris Waddle, talking about Gary Megson - 2009

26

Around 70 referees, mentors and coaches met at Leatherhead FC on Monday 27th February for

the Surrey Have Your Say Event. The evening was presented by Ian Blanchard, the Head of

National Referee Development for the FA. The guest speaker for the first half of the evening was

Premier League Referee, Kevin Friend.

Kevin‟s presentation, supported with a variety of video clips, was about „Getting the Big

Decisions Right‟ and he started by giving us an insight into his early days as a referee and how he

found support and assistance to help him start to make his way up the refereeing ladder.

Surrey ‘Have Your Say’ Event – Feb 2012

With Kevin Friend & Ian Blanchard

Starting on the parks at the age of 13, Kevin soon found

that refereeing was something he enjoyed and was good at.

His father was also a referee and was there to offer help

and advice when needed. That support was needed when,

having sent a player off, that same player put both hands

on Kevin, pushing him in the chest and sending him to the

ground. Kevin abandoned the game and went home,

having decided that if that sort of thing could happen,

refereeing was not for him. His father was there to talk

through the incident and to help him remember that

refereeing was something he enjoyed and also help him

regain the confidence to get back out on the field and not to

be beaten by one idiot.

Having moved up a few levels, Kevin found himself on an

FA Vase game between two local rivals. With one team a

goal up, the assistant flagged for a substitution and the replacement was duly made. Before they could restart, the assistant flagged again. Having

checked, he had realised that the losing team had now made four substitutions when only three

were allowed. Some confusion ensued while things were sorted out but finally the original player

was back on the field. Once again, just as things were about to restart, the assistant flagged again.

It seemed he had totally got his sums wrong and the previous change had in fact only been the

third substitution. Once again, things were held up while the substitution was finally completed but

the game eventually restarted. It finished 1-1 but, in a final twist, the home chairman buttonholed

Kevin as he left the field and informed him that the away side had, in fact, made four substitutions.

Kevin was forced to phone the FA and confess the error, before letting the assistant know exactly

what he thought of him.

A few days later, he was informed that not only would he not be handling the replay but that he was

suspended from all FA competitions for the remainder of the season. At first he pondered the

unfairness of it all; after all, wasn‟t it his assistant who had made the error. Once again, it was his

father who was there to remind him that the referee is the „captain‟ of the team and the ultimate

responsibility rests with him. That experience taught Kevin an important lesson and, since that day,

he has always made a note of substitutions, remembering that any responsibility for mistakes will

ultimately come to rest at the referee‟s door.

Continuing to progress, Kevin found himself refereeing in a tough supply league and his marks for

his first season put him in Band C. Searching for ways to improve, he was advised that he did not

caution enough. In that league, cautions were expected and his lack of cards was costing him. So

27 Continued on Page 28...

season two saw Kevin the disciplinarian; in his own words, „if it farted, it was cautioned‟. His card

count rocketed and his end of season saw him in…Band D. Disaster! Now it seemed he was

relying too much on cards and not man-managing situations. Once again, the pendulum swung to

the other extreme; no cards at all and an end of season in Band E. Worse still, he was the second

worst marked referee in the league („and the guy at the bottom must have been very bad, because

I was terrible‟). It looked like it was all over but, once again, good advice was forthcoming from his

dad. He had been trying to act on everyone‟s advice and forgetting about enjoying his refereeing

and acting on his gut instinct. He needed to be relaxed and calm. Finally, he started to get it right

and things improved dramatically to the point when he found himself refereeing on the Football

League.

...Continued from Page 27

After a good season, he was appointed to

referee the Championship Play-Off semi-final

first leg between Watford and Hull. With such a

big game, he was determined to be focused

from the first minute and to „get the big

decisions right‟. In the fourth minute, Watford‟s

Shittu rose high to meet a cross and powered a

header into the back of the Hull net. Kevin

disallowed the goal, having seen a foul by

another Watford player. A video clip of the

incident showed clearly that any contact had

been minor; there had been no foul; Kevin had

disallowed a perfectly good goal. After the

game, the Watford manager shook his hand and said „You‟ve just cost us £60 Million‟.

At the end of the season, Kevin was invited to be interviewed to become a Premiership referee.

Despite feeling he was ready, he was not successful and Keith Hackett advised him that that high-

profile error had cost him dear. „Getting the Big Decision Right‟ had never been so important but

Kevin had got it wrong. His reaction was to referee every game of the following season to the very

best of his ability. He was determined to find himself being interviewed again the following year

and, sure enough, he was successful. He had made it to the Premiership.

A turning point for that season was when he was appointed as 4th Official to Steve Bennett on the

Aston Villa -v- Chelsea game. Steve was taken ill during his warmup and Kevin found himself in

the middle for a 1st -v- 6th clash. It went extremely well and Kevin went on a long run of games.

Things could have gone drastically wrong following a

10th minute incident in a game between Portsmouth and

Sunderland. With Darren Bent clean through,

Portsmouth‟s number 3, Rocha, caught his heels.

Penalty and a red card. Portsmouth players were

immediately straight in Kevin‟s face and, once he had

got rid of them, he realised he had „lost‟ the offending

player and, worst of all, he had no idea which of the four

players near him should be taking the long walk. His

assistant had also missed which player had committed

the foul. There was no way the match was going to

continue with 11 Portsmouth players still on the field, so Kevin took the decision to „walk‟ the player making the most fuss, despite his protestations of

innocence. The ploy worked, Rocha held his hand up and the correct player left the field.

28 Continued on Page 29...

...Continued from Page 28

However, after a debacle such as that, any referee was never going to have retained the respect of

the players, so Kevin had to referee the best 80 minutes of his life to earn that back. Throughout the remainder of the game, there were 9 key incidents

and Kevin called the correct decision on 8 of them.

Since that day, Kevin says that he constantly talks to

himself throughout each match; as an attack develops

and defenders are shaping for challenges, he is

saying „Yellow Card....Yellow Card...Red Card‟ so if a

foul is committed, he will already know the relevant

punishment as soon as he blows and he makes sure

to keep his eyes fixed on the relevant player.

Kevin reminded us that we must never lose focus,

from the 1st minute to the 90th and if your gut instinct

is telling you „Red Card‟, then it‟s red, regardless of

the grief that that decision may cost you.

In summary, Kevin said that everyone makes mistakes

at every level. The thing is to learn from such

mistakes and change your game to minimise the

chance of a repeat:

The four key points when making any decision are:

SEE:

Fitness: both mental and physical.

Viewing Position: Angles

Dropping Zones: 9 on 5 situations and corner kicks. Be proactive and sort out issues before the

ball comes back into play.

Scanning Radar: The so called „lazy eye‟ – don‟t just follow the ball. Take a second to catch any

follow-through challenges.

Read and Anticipate Play.

RECOGNISE:

„Messages‟ from the players: Who or what are they looking at?

Speed and Distance of a challenge.

Fair or Foul?

Player Reaction.

THINK:

Take your Time.

Severity of Challenge: Where did he catch him?

Next phase of Play. 29

Continued on Page 30...

...Continued from Page 29

Advantage: When is it best to play it? Never in the defensive third, more rarely in the middle third,

best in the attacking third.

Credibility!

It‟s all about your control.

ACT:

Whistle (tone), Arms and Voice: Always positive.

Calm Approach.

Air of Confidence: Never arrogant but show that you know that you‟re a good ref.

Firm but Fair.

Correct application of law.

Finally: remember that offences may be Careless - in which case punish with a free kick –

Reckless – which results in a caution – or With Undue Force – for which the only punishment can

be to send the player off.

An excellent presentation from one of our top referees and the warm applause showed the

appreciation that was felt by all present.

The second half of the evening was presented by Ian Blanchard who was covering the Future

of Grass Roots Football. He gave a brief presentation covering the main points of focus:

- Shaping Referee Development for the Future

- Meeting the needs of the „workforce‟

- Identifying a need to consult

- Building on the relationship with the Referees‟

Association

- Change of Format

before we broke up into several discussion groups

resulting in feedback:

The target for the current phase of the Grass Roots plan is 100% coverage of games by 2015.

Referees being involved in the process gives them the chance to:

- Be heard and make a difference,

- Engage with colleagues,

- Develop as referees,

- (win prizes by filling in the on-line survey!).

Continued on Page 31... 30

...Continued from Page 30

The titles for the group discussion were:

- Referee Recruitment and Retention

- The National Referee Development Programme

- Referee Development Officers

- The Referees‟ Association

- Administration

(Another topic – Futsal and Small-sided Football – was not discussed)

As part of a group discussing The Referees‟ Association, general feeling seemed to be that

although there are many benefits (insurance, physiotherapy, comradeship) more needs to be done

to attract younger members, perhaps lessening the „Society‟ part of proceedings (review of

minutes, etc.) and increasing the focus on football and refereeing.

A very full evening (we started at about 7:15 and finished up around 3 hours later) but entertaining,

educational and worthwhile.

In Pictures – Sutton Society in Action

Guernsey -v- Frimley Green

31 Continued on Page 32...

Ryan O’Sullivan arrives in Guernsey Entering the Field:

Ryan O’Sullivan, Mike Coen and Michael Smith (Middx)

Ryan O’Sullivan with injured keeper

32

In Pictures – Sutton Society in Action

Guernsey -v- Frimley Green

Ryan O’Sullivan keeping up with play

‘And don’t do it again’ - Ryan O’Sullivan issues caution

‘Oops! I did it again’ - Ryan O’Sullivan issues red card for second caution

‘You meet the strangest people’

Mike Coen on the line with new friend!

Flying home in 50 minutes – excellent.

30 more minutes on an aeroplane as ground

staff clear a walkway (not) – Priceless!

We have the technology!!

Reading the newspapers and watching the “experts” on the television, there seems to be a

groundswell of support to bring in video technology in the expectation that it will alleviate mistakes

made by match officials.

There are already moves afoot to bring in goal-line technology but some want to go further than

that and adopt a kind of referral system. Currently both codes of rugby use one and systems are

also place in tennis and test match cricket

Rugby union is the sport which is most similar to association football so I suppose that is the first

place to look at for inspiration. It is the referee alone who asks for assistance from the “television

official” when he feels he needs confirmation of what has happened. The referee will ask a specific

question such as “Is there any reason why a try cannot be awarded?” or “Can you tell me if it is a

try?”

This is where the first problem arises. Even though the question raised by the referee is very

specific the meanings slightly differ so it may mean that identical situations may result in different

outcomes.

Before the advent of the television referee it was always felt that the referees generally awarded a

try unless they were 100% sure that one had not been scored. Now we find that several minutes

can pass before a decision is made to establish if the “scorer‟s” toe had touched a touchline before

the ball has been grounded or if a defender may have prevented the scoring of a try.

Rather than make a judgement call themselves, most referees defer to the fifth official to make that

call for them, so as not to be seen to make an incorrect call. This has in essence watered-down the

responsibility of the man / woman in charge and diminished their role in the game.

Cricket and tennis adopt a different approach in that a player has to ask for a review of the decision

which has been made by the umpire and they only get so many wrong appeals before the option is

taken away from them. A perfect situation one would have thought, until you look at it more closely.

In tennis we seem to rely on computer graphics to determine whether a ball would have landed in

or out. Sorry but in my book that just does not wash! I just cannot see how anybody can accept a

decision made by a computer realisation of what has just occurred.

Cricket at least deals with real time playback as to whether a catch has been held cleanly, the

batsman has edged the ball or, if in all likelihood, he would be out leg before wicket.

In time immemorial the umpire had always erred on the side of caution and given a batsman out

only if they were totally certain they were. Now, with the referral system in place, they appear to do

the opposite. This is probably because they do not want to appear to be shown as weak in their

decision making or they feel that if they call it wrong the decision can be referred.

In the recent three match test series between Pakistan and England, a record number of players

being given out lbw was recorded primarily because of the referral system. It was deemed only a

third of these dismissals would have been upheld without the referral system in place as the

element of doubt would have come into play in the umpire‟s mind.

We now have test matches lasting no more than three days just because the fall of wickets has

been accelerated. Maybe there should be more to sport than just getting the decision correct in

law. Maybe there should be element of uncertainty. That is what all sport should be about surely?

Be Careful What You Wish For! Barrie Gale’s take on ‘Technology’

33

CONTACTS - 2011/2012

President Grant Sheavyn

Vice President John Kasey 020 8394 2968

Vice President Peter Watson 020 8393 9989

Chairman Barrie Gale 020 8644 3825

Vice Chairman David Laughton 020 8288 9275

Hon. Secretary Simeon Potter 020 8661 1555

Hon. Treasurer Keith Rodger 020 8786 7410

Training Officers Peter Watson 020 8393 9989

John Ryan 020 8337 6248

John Martin 020 8641 0501

R.A. Delegates John Kasey 020 8394 2968

Keith Glover 020 8786 0545

Events Coordinator David Laughton 020 8288 9275

Magazine Editor Mike Coen 020 8715 4678

Supplies Officer Mike Ewing 020 8644 7225

Retention Officer Neil Sitch sitchey@btinternet.com

Committee Member Charles Jeffery 020 8641 2611

Sutton United Liaison officer Barrie Gale 020 8644 3825

Hon. Auditors TBA

34

The Referees’ Association - Minutes of Board Meeting

Sunday 19th February, 2012 - Commencing 9.00 a.m at Head Office, Coventry.

Chairman: Colin Harris (CH)

Present: Albert Astbury (AA), Paul Field (PF), Nigel Genner (NG), Bart O’Toole (BOT), John

Starkey (JS), Eddie McGrath (EM), Arthur Smith (AWSS – General Secretary).

1. Chairman’s Opening

CH welcomed all Board members.

2. Apologies

None.

3. Obituaries

Board members stood in silent tribute and with thoughts to the families and friends of the following

members whose deaths have been reported since the last Board Meeting: George Astbury –

Banbury, Eric Middleton – Deal, Anthony (Tony) Bloor – Nottingham, Alec Jones – Sheppey,

Malcolm Gammond – Stockport, Jim Poll – North Herts, Mike Elliot – Kings Norton, Keith Goulding –

Worksop, Neil Gooding – Nottingham.

4. Minutes of Board Meeting 20th November 2011

The minutes were agreed as a true record and duly signed.

5. Matters Arising and Supplementary Actions (where not covered by agenda items)

5.1 Wembley Plaque. AWSS said this is in hand and the FA design team have the new logo.

5.2. A discussion took place re. obituaries at the AGM and it was agreed after a vote to rescind

min. 3.2 of the November 2011 meeting. Names will be displayed on the screen and delegates

would stand in silent tribute.

6. Correspondence

6.1. Letter from Andy Williams – Secretary Hertfordshire CRA. A query was raised at the liaison

meetings over expenditure on salaries during the financial year 2010/2011 and the circumstances of

the departure of the former Supplies Officer Duncan MacAulay. It is felt appropriate for the Board to

issue this statement:-

Shortly after Mr. MacAulay reached the then normal retirement age there were discussions with him

concerning his employment which were followed by his resignation. At a later stage the Board

received correspondence on his behalf about the circumstances of his departure. We are limited in

what can be published about what followed because it was and remains subject to an agreement on

confidentiality. Mr MacAulay was not dismissed and the financial implications of his departure were

included in 2010/2011 accounts under Head Office Salaries. There was also additional expenditure

on overtime to cover for a member of staff who was on long term sick leave also included in this

total.

6.2. Letter from Mike Potter – Secretary Norfolk CRA: Re. Subscriptions after 31 December.

Action ICC

6.3. Letter from Bernie Cheeseman – Gravesend RA: Re. 2012 Grand Draw. Action AA

6.4. Letter from Neil Jones – Secretary West Devon Society: Re. Obituaries at AGM and

possible change of AGM. Action ICC

6.5. Letter from Alan Owen – Secretary Cannock Chase RA: Re. possible change of AGM. Action

ICC

7. Benevolent Fund

AWSS gave a report, stating that there is currently £132,911.36 in the fund and grants to members

since April 2011 totalled £5,500

35 Continued on Page 36...

8. County RA Sub-Committee

Following the recent Committee Meetings it was decided that there would be no Rule Changes

proposed at the 2012 Annual General Meeting. EM will produce a report for consideration at the

May 2012 Board Meeting and then to be circulated with the AGM agenda. CH expressed thanks and

appreciation to the sub-committee for the work that had been undertaken.

9. Finance & General Purpose Committee Report

9.1. NG reported that the management company discussed replacement windows for all properties

at their recent AGM. It will be a requirement for each tenant to finance replacement windows;

however, to maintain uniformity the windows in each property will have to be the same style. When

the time comes to do this work the management company will co-ordinate

9.2 NG produced a letter from First Media with their policy regarding Data Protection Act. The

Board agreed this was something the RA could adopt and it will be accessible through the website

and Manual of Guidance in due course.

9.3 NG reported that the Association was on target to make a small surplus, and that the accounts

of the Association are in a healthy position.

9.4 NG presented a forecast document – produced in conjunction with AWSS and the accountants.

The document had previously been submitted to other board members, with no questions

forthcoming. NG had ensured that the forecast accounts had taken into account the EAC budget

requirements including the full non-sponsored Conference (full liability to The RA). Discussion took

place regarding the need for a “reserve” (contingency) to be placed within the accounting system

and this was accepted.

9.5. The Board agreed that PF would take responsibility for sponsorship for the RA.

9.6. Supplies: Andrew Stickley attended the meeting at this stage to provide a verbal report. NG

suggested that PF could aid the “shop” with commercial and marketing strategy, which he agreed.

With regard to Umbro Kit, discussions were on-going with A&H regarding the supply via the RA

shop. Contents for the Brochure, new kit styles, “white-spacing”, stock and special offers, e.g. spend

£XX and receive a free centenary tossing coin, were all discussed and agreed. The Board accepted

Andrew‟s report, thanked him for giving up this time and for all his hard work

9.7. Grand Draw: NG thanked AA for his excellent work and reporting, it was generally accepted

that the new process had worked very well with only a few issues being reported. AA asked for any

feedback to help to refine the process.

9.8 PhysioCare: PF gave a résumé of the cost of treatments. Blackstones/Aviva are struggling to

find an alternative price and scheme, but discussions are on-going with various providers.

10. Internal Communications Committee Report

10.1 Membership has now passed the 10,000 mark but this is tempered by the continual decline.

This was a major concern highlighted at the recent Liaison Meetings; some CRAs and ABSs seem

to take the matter seriously, others seem more concerned with their own finances. Three CRAs

show a decline in membership at each of their ABSs (Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, and North

Riding). Conversely Shropshire shows an increase in each ABS. The newly-reformed Hastings

branch shows 17 members.

10.2. During January an additional 16 members registered for PhysioCare making a running total of

1467.

10.3. It is hoped that information gathered at the Liaison Meetings will enable us to get a fuller list of

R&R Officers to correspond with. AWSS agreed to send CH & EM the list of R&R Officers.

10.4. Data Base: AWSS stated the RA MMS system is ready and recent modifications have now

been completed. Karen Vince was present to show how the data base worked and the key features.

The Board thanked Karen for attending to give a demonstration of the RAMMS system and it was

agreed to send out to all ABSs before the start of the new membership year so they had the

opportunity to get used to the new system. 36

...Continued from Page 35

Continued on Page 37...

10.5. It was agreed after careful deliberation to approve all 6 nominations received for Life

Membership and all 17 nominations for LMSA. It was felt the quality of nominations as far as

fulfilling the criteria is concerned was very high. However, it was noted that not all nominations had

been submitted on current forms and therefore the old criteria may have been followed, although it

did not affect any of the decisions made. It was agreed that in future, any outdated forms should be

returned. Board members ratified the nominations.

10.6. 50 Year Membership Awards were approved for the following:-

Ian Boswell - Warley

Bryan Widdowson - Bootle

Dick Scott - Middlesbrough

Douglas Cook - Newbury

Stuart Loudon - North Riding

John Burns - Brighton

David King - Brighton

Ernie Pyke - Kidderminster

Malcolm Baker – Chesterfield

Pat Gwynne – Leamington Spa

Harry Hardy – Erewash Valley

Wilf Parsons – South Beds

10.7. County RA Liaison Meetings: All three Meetings took place as scheduled and a summary

presented to the Board. Copies of this, the presentation and other items will be circulated shortly to

all CRAs.

10.8. RA Quiz

Three qualifying competitions are planned on 25 March at Marine FC, Almondsbury SC and a venue

in the London area to be confirmed. It was agreed that Sid Harrison would again be invited to act as

Quizmaster.

10.9. Board Election 2012

6 nominations have been received for 3 places on the Board and ballot forms have been issued

from Head Office. These are to be returned to the Acting Chairman, who will deal with the counting

of votes in conjunction with John Starkey on 18 April. The Board agreed the procedure for the 2012

Board Elections

10.10. Website

Eddie McGrath has carried out some excellent work on the new website in conjunction with Sarah

Watkin and it is expected that this will be formally launched very shortly. Reassurance was given

that access to Facebook and Twitter could not be abused.

11. External Affairs Committee Report

11.1. Minutes of the EAC meeting of 29 January were not made available to Board Members by the

Chairman Bart O‟Toole until late morning of Saturday 18 February, outside of the agreed protocol

time frame of 7 days following the meeting. Thus EAC members had no time to approve the minutes

and other Board Members had little or no time to digest the content. CH expressed his

disappointment at this, which was echoed by Board Members and it was agreed that the EAC

minutes could not be tabled. CH requested anyone who wished to raise matters relating to EAC to

do so by e-mailing BOT, with a copy to himself, within 7 days.

37

...Continued from Page 36

Sutton & District Referee Society

Minutes of February Meeting that took place on 8th February, 2012 at Sutton Utd FC

Chairman

Barrie opened the meeting and welcomed everyone including our guest speaker Tim Lawrence. Barrie also mentioned

the sad loss of John Rains, a former player and manager of Sutton United, who has passed away at the age 57.

Apologies for Absence

Received from John Kasey, Keith Slaughter,

Minutes of Previous Meeting

All present were asked were there any matters arising from previous minutes. None were raised.

This was proposed by Mike Coen and seconded by Neil Sitch.

Hon Secretary`s Report/Correspondence

The Secretary made the following mention of corres :

• As most of you may know, Barrie Gale our Chairman intends to stand down at the end of the season. Please, if

anyone is interested in taking up this position, Barrie and myself are all too willing to give you a brief of the requirements

of this Role.

• I intend to have a vote at the AGM for the proposal from Peter Rogers for the Society to subsidise some of the price

if a member buys a full kit from our RA-FA supply officer.

• A reminder from Fiona Cheesman, Discipline manager at County office, to submit all reports within 2 days of the

game.

• Arthur Smith, Chairman of The Referees‟ Association, has stood down. The Association are currently inviting

applications for this position. Anyone interested should send their CV with a covering letter, marked “Private and

Confidential”, to: N. Genner, The RA Board Treasurer, 130 Lea Vale Road, Norton, Stourbridge DY8 2AU or email

genner@totalise.co.uk. Further details of the position can also be found on the RA Web Site (www.footballreferee.org)

or obtained from Mr. Genner.

• Those wishing to apply for promotion must do so by submitting the R5 form before 29th Feb. Please contact the

County Office – Telephone 01372 373 543 or simply download and complete a copy of the R5 Application Form from the

County website. Send the completed R5 Form as instructed on the form to Martin Allen, Assessing Co-ordinator.

.• Please support the RA-FA Grand Draw. Remember: Half of what we sell comes directly back into the Society.

Hon Treasurer

Sutton & District Referees Society Treasurer's Report as at 5 February, 2012:

Opening balance at 1 April 2011 £1,634.76

Income since annual report £1,731.75

Expenditure since annual report £1,729.28

Society's Balance at end of period, 05/02/12 £1,637.23

Notes: No activity in January.

Membership: Stands at 63 members (of which 8 are youth members)

Training Officers Report

Peter stated not a lot to report, as all courses had finished, but said the next step for all candidates who had passed the

course was to attend a Next Step Workshop and to complete their 6 games.

Supplies Officer

Current Stock £140.51 Cash £26.00 with a balance of £166.51

Continued on Page 39...

38

…Continued from Page 38

Magazine Editor

Mike requested that all keep the material coming as he can‟t produce TL‟s without our support.

R A Delegates Report

Keith G congratulated the 5-A-Side teams in representing Sutton but at the last Delegate‟s meeting it was mentioned that

mores side required to keep the event viable. Keith also mentioned the Conference dates.

Retention Officer Report

Keith Neil stated that there is not a lot of movement at this time of year.

Events officer report

Not present

Any Other Business

None.

Meeting closed: 20:20

DATE CHAIRMAN

39

Dates for the Diary

March, 2012

Wed 21st @ 7:30pm Sutton Society Meeting @ Sutton Utd FC

April, 2012

Wed 11th @ 7:30pm Sutton Society Meeting @ Sutton Utd FC AGM