Touch Football - Referees

[Guest]

G'day guys,

I play touch football at a local club, and have done for a few years since playing all through high school. I have reacently been pulling my hair out trying to understand our referees. I'd actually like to hear from any referees on here if there are any becuase when I seem to talk to a referee who knows me or anyone from the particular club I play for I just get a "We're always right you're always wrong" attitude and we get nowhere.

Now I understand no one is perfect and have never criticised a referee (no matter what i think I saw) if he says he beleives this or that is what he saw. But I am at odds tryign to understand a few things lately.

Why they feel the need to get really defensive straight away and give a penalty for backchat as soon as a player questions a call? As long as I am not holding the game up unnecessarily, what is wrong with explaining himself and moving on? Even a player just calling out forward when he thinks it was forward, I get "calm your players down!". Regardless of what i said or how I said it? I always try and be certeous and respectfull and expect the same in return. Infact even the referee code of conuct says i should. But on the field I get this "no go away, i don't want to hear it" attitude.

I don't know if it's someone is teaching them that in order to keep the game under control and the player's "respect" you can't allow them to question everything or even be right and walk all over you. I just don't get it. Becuase I've played with reffs before that have made plenty of mistakes (in my view) and they have all the respect and control in the world. All I ask is for a reasonable answer and then i move on. Instead I seem to be getting a penalty for something which causes no disadvantage to the other team at all?

I'd be much happier to hear a ref say yeah i missed that then not answer me and penalise me for asking him something?

Comment as necessary. [icon_shru

 

[Flutterby]

I am a netball umpire (though not active at the moment). Referees can't really admit to a player during a game that they were wrong because then you'll have players questioning absolutely every decision they make. However I do agree a lot of referees in all sports could do with better people skills when it comes to handling situations like this - I find it best to say something along the lines of "I have made my decision and can't change it now, but I'll take on board your comments. Maybe we can discuss it in more detail after the game so as not to hold up play now"

 

[Coxy]

FatRobo: in the comp in which you play is there a culture of backchat and disrespect to referees? If so the refs might well be under a zero tolerance regime.

That's what happens in Oztag. We copped years and years of players questioning everything and it got to the point where a) the captain can only talk to the ref, anyone else will be penalised, no warning, and b) the captain can only chat to the referee at a break in play (after a try, half time, full time).

It sounds harsh, but if players know that's the situation and the consequences if they keep flapping their jaws, they stop.

Unfortunately it means the ones that are being perfectly respectful get treated the same way.

 

[Bucking Beads]

I was expecting a "touch is gay play Oztag" from you coxy!

 

[Hamm.0]

Coxy, have you met this ref who we have had the last 2 games at Shaw Sports; he is around 30-35ish, maybe 40. Has brown hair, about a foot shorter than me, a little acne scarring?

Great ref IMO. Yes, I reckon he misses some stuff, a few forwards and offside’s from both my team and the opposition, but that is all relative. What I love about him is before a game, he calls captains forward, does the kick-off paper/scissors/rock, pick a hand/whatever. Then says; "No matter what, if I make a decision, nothing you can say will change it. I don't mind you asking me on the run or at halftime, but not your players. I'm big on marker moving early and offside’s, I'll give you guys 1 minute now to call them together and tell them what I just said."

Upfront, honest and you know where you stand from before kick-off icon_thumbs_u

 

[Hatchy]

Im a touch ref and play as well, If I were you, I'd take it straight up to the commitee and ask for an explanation. Thats what i'd do If I were you. icon_thumbs_u

In the role of the ref, I would have told you in a nice manner, after all that is their job I thought.

 

[mrslong]

In our comp only the captain can question the ref. Otherwise you're sent from the field for dissent. Like coxy said, backchat was out of control, so the only way to contain it was to take the hard line. Makes for a better game, just don't question the ref. The call is his and no matter what you say he won't be changing it.

Only time it works is if you yell out "forward" if it's a forward pass, or really play up a try or a tag or something.

 

[Guest]

Coxy, i don't think there is much of it happening there. Ocassionaly we get a player who is really arrogant and loud but they seem to stand out as one off's.

Yeah sounds about right, people skills would go along way. I even had a referee tell me last week to read the rules??? I though that was him at his best. I think that's the problem though, straight away reffs seem to think we are trying to change what they said. I'd say just about everyone understands (or its at least the very first thing your told when you begin playing sport at the wee ol' agess) that a refferee isn't going to go "oh yeah ok no i take it back you can have the ball now". But when you get one call for something then see the same thing 2 minutes later and say "oh sir that was over the mark", surely all is required is "I thought his back foot was still on the ground" not a penalty for back chat. I've been penalised before for going "ohhh no way".

Hammo I am thinking of doing something similar before the game. Try and show the reff that its nothign personal and we can get along just fine. Explain that i am not criticising just enquiring about why that decision was made????

 

[Hamm.0]

Fatrobo I'm am always of the opinion that the captain has every right to politly enquire.

 

[Coxy]

I agree Hammo. As a referee though, I've rarely found a captain who knows how to politely enquire without sounding like a whinging sore loser.

 

[Guest]

See that is exactly the attitude I get with just about every refferee I come accross. I just don't see it how it's the refferee's job to decide if the captain is a sore looser or not??? And why does it matter if the captain is a sore looser? The rules are there, so reff by them. If he has a question then you shouldn't have a problem answering it if you reffed by the rules.

I see it all the time...The reff doesn't like how the captain asked the question so he gives him a penalty and some stick. What does that do? Makes the player even more irate.

I know it is possible, there are reffs out there that have handled in my opinion some of the most anoying of players I have seen!

 

[Coxy]

The questions I hate are, for example:

- I rule knock on
- Captain gets in my face "What did you rule there?"
- "I ruled knock on"
- "Why?"
- "Because the player knocked it on"
- "How can you say they knocked it on?"

It's like, duh!

Fair enough if it's an unusual ruling or something, but if the call is clear - even if you think it's wrong - get on with the game and leave me alone.