Reffing Older Players
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Reffing Older Players
What are the challenges in refereeing older players?
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How Do Referees
Manage Player Behavior?
• A quiet word
• A look or gesture
• A friendly warning
• A caution or send-off
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Dealing with Dissent
• What is dissent?
 Disagreement, by word or action, with the referee’s decisions
• Why do we care about dissent? Isn’t it part of sports?
– The game is supposed to be fun!
– Dissent usually indicates people are frustrated and not having fun.
– Dissent, if allowed to persist, can escalate to overwhelm the game …
– …and the referee!
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Dealing with Dissent
• Fit the action to the circumstances.
• Deal with it early.
• Have a plan – the Three-Step Approach.
– Step 1: Minimum response
– Step 2: Formal response
– Step 3: Ultimate response
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Step 1: Minimum Response
• Try first for informal forms of intervention.
– A quiet word
– A look or gesture
• Deliver a warning by speaking to a dissenting player.
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Remain calm and professional.
Don’t try to be witty.
Give some latitude.
Don’t be defensive.
Acknowledge the dissent.
Require the player to accept the referee’s authority.
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Step 2: Formal Response
• Caution the player and show the yellow card.
• It’s no longer a discussion.
• Make it clear that the behavior cannot continue, but don’t
give an ultimatum.
• If the player tries to “have the last word”, ignore it.
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Step 3: Ultimate Response
• Send off the player (second caution for dissent).
• Regardless of what the player says now, it’s over.
– Don’t get drawn in.
– Require player to leave the field.
• If Steps 1 and 2 were used properly, it rarely gets this far!
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Game Control Tools
Presence
The most powerful tool
Voice and gestures
Useful for both referee and ARs
Signals
Whistle, hands, flags
Yellow card
Caution
Red card
Send-off
Suspension of match
(not usually for player misbehavior)
Termination of match
(governing authority decides outcome)
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