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Post by toshfan on Jan 24, 2019 16:29:10 GMT
Apologies if this has already been shared (I could not find it) but there is an opportunity to qualify as a referee. The vast majority of the course is online: becomearef.wales/After 20 years of not refereeing as an Official Referee, I have the bug back and have done the above course. It is excellent! Once the online course is completed, a final practical is required. Mine is on the 24th February in Bridgend. I urge others to give it some thought. |
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Post by Gary Williams on Jan 24, 2019 18:47:43 GMT
Apologies if this has already been shared (I could not find it) but there is an opportunity to qualify as a referee. The vast majority of the course is online: becomearef.wales/After 20 years of not refereeing as an Official Referee, I have the bug back and have done the above course. It is excellent! Once the online course is completed, a final practical is required. Mine is on the 24th February in Bridgend. I urge others to give it some thought. Red Card to you lol |
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Post by cymruramdcfc on Jan 24, 2019 20:44:20 GMT
Apologies if this has already been shared (I could not find it) but there is an opportunity to qualify as a referee. The vast majority of the course is online: becomearef.wales/After 20 years of not refereeing as an Official Referee, I have the bug back and have done the above course. It is excellent! Once the online course is completed, a final practical is required. Mine is on the 24th February in Bridgend. I urge others to give it some thought. Good luck with it |
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Post by toshfan on Jan 24, 2019 22:56:50 GMT
Apologies if this has already been shared (I could not find it) but there is an opportunity to qualify as a referee. The vast majority of the course is online: becomearef.wales/After 20 years of not refereeing as an Official Referee, I have the bug back and have done the above course. It is excellent! Once the online course is completed, a final practical is required. Mine is on the 24th February in Bridgend. I urge others to give it some thought. Red Card to you lol Oi!! Six!! I'll have you please! |
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Post by pendragon on Jan 24, 2019 23:58:46 GMT
Apologies if this has already been shared (I could not find it) but there is an opportunity to qualify as a referee. The vast majority of the course is online: becomearef.wales/After 20 years of not refereeing as an Official Referee, I have the bug back and have done the above course. It is excellent! Once the online course is completed, a final practical is required. Mine is on the 24th February in Bridgend. I urge others to give it some thought. Didn't realise no previous experience was needed! You might find me officiating a CL match yet.... π |
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Post by toshfan on Jan 25, 2019 1:45:59 GMT
Didn't realise no previous experience was needed! You might find me officiating a CL match yet.... π Yes, you have to start somewhere. I think you will be terrific on the CL. For a young referee they would do well to start in the girls game as they will get a lot less nonsense but still really develop with the fundamentals such as positioning, application of the laws etc. |
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Post by pendragon on Jan 26, 2019 1:32:41 GMT
That isn't too much of a concern thankfully, I'm not one for taking nonsense! π
Do they allow women onto the programme (couldn't see anything to confirm either way)? I might seriously have to give this some thought π
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Post by toshfan on Jan 27, 2019 12:27:15 GMT
Do they allow women onto the programme (couldn't see anything to confirm either way)? I might seriously have to give this some thought π Of course. The only stipulation is that the minimum age is 14. |
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Post by pendragon on Jan 27, 2019 16:14:02 GMT
Do they allow women onto the programme (couldn't see anything to confirm either way)? I might seriously have to give this some thought π Of course. The only stipulation is that the minimum age is 14. That definitely isn't going to be a problem lol! |
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Post by fourfourtwo on Jan 27, 2019 22:30:44 GMT
Probably the best referee I've seen in the Cymru Alliance is Cheryl Foster, who has recently taken charge of some WPL games, and has also impressed in them.
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Post by toshfan on Sept 9, 2019 11:45:50 GMT
On the Cardiff & District league last Saturday, only 8 out of 17 games were covered by an official appointed referee meaning 9 out of 17 were not. This is bad news for the game of football at grassroots level. A majority of Junior games in both Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan in the morning did not have a referee appointed by the respective leagues. This is bad news for the development of future players. I doubt whether this is confined to these leagues and the Cardiff & Vale region.
If any of you have any spare time, please give some thought to taking up the whistle. I wish I had gone back into it sooner. It is not without challenges but the contribution that you would be making to the game is crucial. You will get some pocket money and fitness for your trouble too! If anyone is interested and wants to bounce anything off me, do not hesitate to make contact here or on a DM.
becomearef.wales
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Post by cadno on Sept 10, 2019 11:13:29 GMT
On the Cardiff & District league last Saturday, only 8 out of 17 games were covered by an official appointed referee meaning 9 out of 17 were not. This is bad news for the game of football at grassroots level. A majority of Junior games in both Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan in the morning did not have a referee appointed by the respective leagues. This is bad news for the development of future players. I doubt whether this is confined to these leagues and the Cardiff & Vale region. If any of you have any spare time, please give some thought to taking up the whistle. I wish I had gone back into it sooner. It is not without challenges but the contribution that you would be making to the game is crucial. You will get some pocket money and fitness for your trouble too! If anyone is interested and wants to bounce anything off me, do not hesitate to make contact here or on a DM. becomearef.wales Ceredigion has the same problems, not enough referees, with a few taken by mid wales divisions. I intend to do the course, but whilst I'm playing every weekend I'm not sure if it's the right time? |
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Post by johnoster on Sept 10, 2019 11:17:39 GMT
Same in Gwent, with the lower leagues often losing referees on a Saturday to the higher divisions.
Standard of referee is pretty poor too, in terms of understanding of the game and fitness.
If you're any good you get fast tracked to the welsh league.
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Post by conwy10 on Sept 10, 2019 12:41:10 GMT
In one of the womenβs leagues, not sure if itβs for every one, you need to have a referee associated with your club to be accepted. The referee canβt referee your games and will referee the others. If itβs a league with 10 clubs they have 10 referees each week to cover 5 matches, could be a good way to go.
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Post by toshfan on Sept 22, 2019 21:09:11 GMT
Same in Gwent, with the lower leagues often losing referees on a Saturday to the higher divisions. Standard of referee is pretty poor too, in terms of understanding of the game and fitness. If you're any good you get fast tracked to the welsh league. I do not doubt the first and third paragraphs but there is something more profound that costs the grassroots game referees and that is abuse. But in view of your second paragraph, I am interested in what you mean by "understanding of the game"? And, are you interested in improving matters in your local area by qualifying? |
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Post by welshiron on Sept 23, 2019 7:05:18 GMT
I was at a game yesterday and I was shocked to say the least.
One side had coach sent off for dissent and all their girls thought it was hilarious. They also mocked a player about her weight when she gave away a penalty, funnily enough they missed the pen.
At end of game they started having g a go about the ref and got abusive when I said they need to look at themselves.
Thinking of jacking the coaching in. May take up reffing at least they take a few quid home π
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Post by pendragon on Sept 23, 2019 9:24:04 GMT
Blimey! And we thought the boys were bad!
What team was this? Ragtag Utd? π
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Post by johnoster on Sept 23, 2019 9:44:45 GMT
Same in Gwent, with the lower leagues often losing referees on a Saturday to the higher divisions. Standard of referee is pretty poor too, in terms of understanding of the game and fitness. If you're any good you get fast tracked to the welsh league. I do not doubt the first and third paragraphs but there is something more profound that costs the grassroots game referees and that is abuse. But in view of your second paragraph, I am interested in what you mean by "understanding of the game"? And, are you interested in improving matters in your local area by qualifying?
It's probably a cliche, but the best referee's I've come across have been the ones who have played the game to a decent standard. The worst ones are generally the ones who have never played the game. This doesn't apply to every referee though.
Football has nuances, referees need to use experience and sometimes just common sense. A lot of these new referees are just applying what they've learnt in a short training course. This isn't their fault but they need more to become good referees.
I've considered refereeing, but to be honest I'm 38, I currently manage to be available twice a month to play due to work and family commitments. While I'm fit and able I'll play whenever I can. Maybe when I can't play anymore I'll take it up but I doubt it. It's hard enough to convince my missus to let me still play twice a month, not a chance she'd be happy with me refereeing!
You're right about the abuse, it's unacceptable and will lead to us having no referees. I've found the best referees though to have an understanding of the language on the football pitch. A friend of mine who played Welsh League for a long time and now referees in the Welsh League summed it up well. He got called a cheating cunt by a player, and sent him off immediately. The lad asked why he was sent off, and the refs' response? "I might be a cunt, but I'm definitely not cheat."
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Post by toshfan on Sept 24, 2019 14:57:30 GMT
It's probably a cliche, but the best referee's I've come across have been the ones who have played the game to a decent standard. The worst ones are generally the ones who have never played the game. This doesn't apply to every referee though. Pawb a'i Farn as they say in Welsh. I acknowledge your last bit but must admit that I take a different view. I have seen some very good referees who have played the game for a long period. But my advice to a young referee is to comply with law 5 strictly and not to let a lack of playing experience put them off. A referee must referee as a referee and not as a player or former player. Experience is of course something that will improve a referee but I urge caution about "common sense" as that means different things to different people. Those with a negative view can decide to take retribution. My recommendation to a young referee is to apply the laws and be especially firm on dissent. The FA Cup Final where Gazza picked up a serious injury many years ago had a referee that showed lots of desire for "common sense" and "player pleasing". That performance inspired me to go into refereeing and still has an influence on my approach today. I do accept that there are some games that need a referee to fight over blades of grass and I guess that is a form of common sense. I hope you will reconsider in the future. Even if you did a junior boys game on a Saturday morning or a junior girls game on a Sunday, you would be making such an amazing contribution to the game. If you ever decide to take up the whistle, I would be the other end of an email or phone to support you. It is a decent way to keep fit too. Give your match fee to your missus. I'm nearly 44 so age is no barrier. It is an approach that works for your friend but it is not one I would recommend. But glad he sent off the player. |
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Post by toshfan on Sept 24, 2019 15:05:04 GMT
I was at a game yesterday and I was shocked to say the least. One side had coach sent off for dissent and all their girls thought it was hilarious. They also mocked a player about her weight when she gave away a penalty, funnily enough they missed the pen. At end of game they started having g a go about the ref and got abusive when I said they need to look at themselves. Thinking of jacking the coaching in. May take up reffing at least they take a few quid home π Sounds as though the behaviour from some of those involved was unacceptable. No doubt, had the referee heard any mocking of a girl about her weight he/she would have taken action. I would never ask a coach to finish what they are doing as coaching is such a crucial contribution to the game so hope you do not. But, if you do in the future, I am always the other end of a line to support you. |
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Post by welshiron on Sept 24, 2019 18:45:48 GMT
I dont doubt the ref would of acted appropriately had they heard.
I also imagine the ref will be hoping not to ref there again there for a while.
Nightmare day as one of the girls broke her arm 10 mins into her debut. Luckily the operation was a success but didnt half feel guilty as I persuaded her to start playing.
I also hope the ref wasn't too upset with me as I got sucked in a little.
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Post by toshfan on Jul 1, 2021 17:27:45 GMT
Friendlies have returned to grassroots football. One of the things I am hearing is that clubs are finding is harder than ever to source a referee.
Give qualifying some thought. It really does make a difference to Welsh Football.
becomearef.wales
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Post by talyfan on Jul 1, 2021 17:58:09 GMT
Not suggesting I'd go back into but I haven't refereed in four/five years.
Fully qualified. Would I have to redo the course if I ever wanted to take up the whistle again?
Probably a question for my local fa to be honest
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Post by toshfan on Sept 2, 2021 11:22:08 GMT
With more Officials required at the higher Tiers following the restructure, the shortage of referees on local leagues is more acute than ever. I am hearing stories of various leagues from Swansea to Rhondda having less than half a dozen referees to appoint to games. The Carmarthenshire League has been very clever in having Friday night fixtures in addition to Saturday afternoon ones and this has increased coverage there. But that option is quickly coming to an end and it will struggle for full coverage of games too. I'm visiting my parents in Llanelli this weekend and will be doing 3 games to help out (Loughor, Garden Village and Dafen). The vast majority of local leagues are desperate for new blood. Please do give some thought to becomearef.wales as the impact you would have on the game in Wales would be enormous. It is a good way to get fit and pick up some pocket money too! |
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Post by toshfan on Jan 13, 2022 11:53:48 GMT
Have you made a New Years Resolution to get fit? Refereeing is an excellent way to start that process. The need for more Referees throughout Wales is greater than ever. Too many grassroot matches (Senior and Juniors) have no appointed Referee. The FAW rightly wants to expand the Women's and Girl's game. We will need more Referees. becomearef.wales |
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Post by toshfan on Jan 26, 2022 18:24:53 GMT
Referees have just been appointed to this Saturdayβs Cardiff & District Senior games. Only 4 out of the 16 scheduled matches have an official referee appointed at the moment. What a statistic to get across how much better we all need to do at recruiting and retaining referees.
Becomearef.wales
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Post by toshfan on Jul 17, 2022 14:29:40 GMT
With the new grassroots season a month away, I thought I would bump this thread to see if anyone was thinking about becomearef.wales
We simply need far more Match Officials throughout Wales on Saturdays and Sundays. Even refereeing the occasional game makes every difference.
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Post by johnoster on Aug 4, 2022 10:49:02 GMT
Just looked at my last post in this thread, 3 years ago!
I'm 41 now and chairman of my local club, as well as coaching juniors and still playing when I can.
We still need more referees in the game at all levels, but it's still not something I'd consider at the expense of my current commitments.
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Post by toshfan on Aug 9, 2022 12:48:21 GMT
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Post by toshfan on Oct 25, 2022 15:41:27 GMT
Out of 71 u12 to 16 games in Cardiff last Saturday morning, 8 had an appointed Match Official. Everyone and anyone who cares about grassroots football should take note of that stat. It is very serious and has all sorts of implications.
There is a lot of interest in Refereeing on Social Media but most of it is being critical of Match Officials. We need to focus on how to increase the numbers being recruited through becomearef.wales and create a more respectful culture so we retain those we have.
We have got to do better in football and we should be pushing and encouraging far more. If anyone does do the course, and wants someone to chat with, please message me anytime.
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