Lincolnshire FA at
the 2015 Iber Cup
Estoril
Contents:
.Introduction – Michael Brader
RDO Lincolnshire FA
.The Team – Rob Atkin Coach
.Alex Sawden Review
.Tom Cadman Review
.Tom Bishop Review
.Dave Jones Review
.Summary
Introduction
The Iber Cup Estoril took place between 30th June and 5th July 2015.
For the second year Lincolnshire FA were represented by four
Referees from the County Development Group.
The tournament comprises teams from all every continent in both
female and male football ranging from U9 to U18. Over 8000
players and 140 Referees take part in the tournament.
Referees are exposed to different tactics as well as the obvious
language challenges and have to often cope with temperatures well
in excess of 35 degrees. Not something that four young men form
Grimsby and Scunthorpe often face!
They officiated on 10 plus fixtures each over the course of the week
in all capacities whilst being assessed on each game by a range of
both English and FIFA Assessors. The Four Referees chosen, Tom
Bishop, Dave Jones, Alex Sawden and Tom Cadman embarked on a
trip they will remember for a lifetime and they will each give their
personal account later in the document.
The week had many twists and turns and culminated with our own
Dave Jones winning the Gold Whistle as top ranked Referee of the
Tournament and Refereed the main final between Chivas
Guadalahara of Mexico and Bodo Glimt of Norway. The other
members of his team were from Holland, Hungary and Italy. The
game was played at Estoril Stadium in front of a crowd of well over
3,000.
Introducing the Team – Rob Atkin
The Iber Cup, Estoril, is an excellent vehicle for developing referees
who are well advanced in the County promotion scheme and who
possess the talent, determination and potential to go to the higher
echelons of our game.
I would describe this tournament in terms of if it were driving a car,
it would be like having been a competent driver who passed their
test a few years previous, then the Iber Cup would be an intensive
advanced course that teaches driving at speed, in challenging
conditions whilst being shouted at by angry back seat passengers.
It truly provides a week long learning environment that for the
referees who take part it would otherwise take 2 or more seasons
to experience.
The 2014 Iber Cup experience was superb but 2015 was even better
and this was in large part down to our team leader Referee
Development Officer Michael Brader. I know that Michael met with
the tournament organisers at meetings with other County FA’s last
Autumn and he worked hard to represent the Lincolnshire FA in
ironing out the issues and challenges of the previous years’
tournament that would make 2015 run extremely well for all who
attended.
The team building for this started back before Easter with a
meeting in Lincoln that really made everyone look forward in
excited anticipation. A second meeting was held a couple of weeks
prior to travel in which we discussed what the aim of the
tournament was, the essential items to take with us and we made
the travel plans that would enable us to arrive at Michaels house in
time for a team bonding breakfast of coffee and a bacon bap.
Thanks must be afforded to Michael for this as a near 2 hour trip at
5am in the morning is made easier knowing that a nice breakfast
was waiting.
Key decisions at this meeting included how we would share images
and videos of our experiences that would help us recall events and
write the reports that would inspire others in the future. I
established a private Facebook group and added all of this year’s
attendees and last year’s also to enable past and present
experiences to be celebrated.
Thanks also to our fellow Lincolnshire officials Gary Sutton and
Dave Bryan who donated their Nike coloured referees shirts to the
cause.
To the team - the two Tom’s, Dave and Alex are all very well known
to me all being from the North of the County. Tom Bishop and Dave
are members of Scunthorpe Referees Association and I have
personally mentored both and watched with pride as they have
risen through the challenges of local and county senior league
football. Tom Cadman I have supported from his early career as his
coach through the County Development group and alongside Alex I
coached them both last season as part of the National Referees
Development Programme.
As a team and in terms of levels of refereeing abilities at the Iber
Cup I would consider that we took a strong team this year, and it
proved true by the end of the tournament. The four referees
individually and collectively represented Lincolnshire FA with
distinction on and off the fields of play and I would commend them
for the way they supported each other and responded so positively
to the encouragement and advice offered to them by myself and
Michael.
Each of them provides a personal account of their Iber Cup
experience later on but by way of an introduction to each of them I
will now provide my own concise and personal ‘pen pic’ of them
and their efforts.
Tom Cadman was I feel probably the most excited to attend,
throughout the early months of this year he would often call and
message me for advice about games and it would always end with a
discussion about what to expect from the Iber Cup. Tom also made
what I feel was a massive decision with regards to his personal
health in the spring when he took advice on his eye sight and opted
to undergo corrective laser eye surgery that would enable him to
officiate without the need of spectacles or contact lenses. This was
a display of Tom’s commitment to improving his image and
credibility as a match official and we are all pleased that this went
very well for Tom.
The benefit of this tournament to Tom was immense and to watch
how he progressed from his first match on the Tuesday to the way
he controlled a tough semi-final encounter on an incredibly hot
Saturday afternoon filled us all with pride. Tom is very reflective
and always willing to learn and take on board advice from
colleagues, coaches and assessors and this quality will serve him
well in the future seasons. His key learning point as a referee will
be in gaining the ability to ‘read’ the game and give what is
expected by all involved. As an Assistant Referee again it is in
reading the game and dovetailing his involvement and performance
with that of the match referee.
Re-visiting briefly Tom’s eyesight as previously stated it worked
perfectly well on the games all week but we did wonder for while
whether the op was a complete success after he appeared to not
see a raised kerb in the ‘Deck Bar’ and then trip theatrically with his
full 6ft 5in frame landing on top of a young Portuguese lady who
was seated nearby. Well done Tom!
Like his fellow Grimbarian I would consider that Alex gained an
immeasurable amount of valuable experience from this trip. Alex is
very mature in his outlook and manner for his years and this he
carries on with his style of refereeing. He is very calm and
composed and strikes an imposing figure on the pitch with him
being 6ft 4in tall. Alex possesses an excellent level of fitness and
his work rate is always very high. The tournament started relatively
quietly for Alex with 4 games, 2 as Assistant and 1 each as 4th and
Referee all of which were well within his capabilities and I could tell
he was itching for more of a challenge. This came in the form of a
close match between two local teams on a baking hot Thursday
evening at the Torre ground. Alex had a superb game and his
match control never in question but then a momentary lapse in
concentration led him into being duped by a player taking a caution
to save his team mate a second yellow and subsequent send off.
Welcome to the Iber Cup Alex I thought.
The next two matches for Alex were as an Assistant Referee in
which he demonstrated exceptional speed of movement in the side
on ‘crabbing’ style and also with the short dynamic sprints needed
for this role. Alex is a real team player and he gave his best game
for the two referees on these matches.
In what turned out to be Alex’s final game he was set a real
challenge of a local derby at U16s. I know Alex had honestly
reflected on his lapse from his previous middle and he was
determined to put in a good shift this time. The match turned out
to be arguably the toughest test of the week with both teams going
at each other and being bayed on by a large group of spectators.
A red card for violent conduct followed by the team with 10 players
taking the lead, a penalty awarded to put the team with 11 level
and the ferociously struck penalty kick hitting the net support in
the back of the goal to ricochet back out and leave a doubt if the
ball had crossed the line. The game played out with a number of
cynical fouls and time wasting tactics of the craftiest order. Alex
performed superbly throughout and puffed out his chest at the end
as he shook hands with his supporting officials.
You could say Alex had now arrived at the Iber Cup, but he nearly
didn’t. Alex we discovered is an Accountant and he had packed his
laptop and scientific calculator so that he could put in some work
and revision on any downtime during the trip. His calculator packed
in his case proved to be an object of extreme interest to the airport
security staff at Stansted Airport. As a group we were nervously
looking at our watches as the flight time got nearer and Alex was
still waiting at the security counter. Leaving him was being
discussed as an option when he finally caught up.
In introducing Tom Bishop you have to note that he has been
promoted every season that he has been refereeing senior football
and this has not been an accident or by any stroke of luck. It has
been down to the immense effort and commitment that Tom has
put into his development as a person and a referee.
Tom is now a Level 3 Referee after serving just one season at 4 and
as the highest level referee of our group we expected good
performances from Tom and we weren’t disappointed. I first saw
Tom in the season 10/11 when I was asked by the then Lincs FA
RDO Phil Joslin to go and watch this young lad that was showing
promise and causing a positive stir around the local leagues in
Scunthorpe. I recall watching Tom referee a top division, end of
season midweek game between two notoriously rough villages
sides who were long term adversaries and not shy with the strong
tackles. Both sides saw Tom as this fresh faced young lad in black
and a number of the old stagers playing tried to bully and
intimidate any decision they could out of him. Tom had none of it
and the persistent ones were rightly cautioned, I thought then that
he would go far!
Tom ‘cruised’ through the tournament putting in some very
accomplished and confident performances as a Referee. His match
control is very mature and this he displayed in a testing U16s
encounter on the Friday evening at Carcavelos. The game bubbled
from the off with a foul in every minute of the first 5 and then Toms
reading of the game led him to try an advantage. All good and then
in the next minute an attack stopping cynical tackle, no hesitation
from Tom, boom! Caution!
Tom’s strengths throughout the tournament were his reading of
the temperature of games and his first class foul or fair contact
recognition. He came with some concerns that he needed more
experience and help with his Assistant Refereeing but I have to say
that I saw no evidence of any major flaws in his performances in
this role. His movement and positioning are both very good and he
always gave his all to enhance the refereeing team.
Tom is a very intelligent young man, and he should be given that he
went to University straight from Primary school and he’s still there!
He is comfortable as a leader and happy to be a team player, he
really has everything necessary to go all the way in refereeing.
Tom made two major contributions to the welfare of Lincs FA crew
in that firstly he selflessly and without argument volunteered to
take the put up bed in our room leaving the bigger more luxurious
beds for Dave and I. Then on the Saturday morning when we all
were up before 7am for breakfast and on to go and watch Dave
referee a semi-final with an 8:30am kick off. Tom made the
intelligent observation that given it was a weekend then the Hotel
Palacio breakfast lounge would still be open for us to take a 2nd
sitting if we could get a jog on from the Estoril Stadium that was a
couple of miles away. We all loved him for this call!
I will finish with Dave Jones, who it turned out put the finishing
touch to the Iber Cup 2015 by refereeing the final game. Going back
a few years like Tom Bishop I have watched Dave come through the
local Scunthorpe leagues with consecutive promotions. It is
incredible to think that he was criticised for his level of fitness in his
initial 7 to 6 assessments when you see now how Dave covers every
blade of grass with some jaw dropping sprints when required at
fast breaks in play.
Dave’s Iber Cup performances were nothing short of exceptional in
terms of the effort he put in whether he was in the role of Assistant
Referee or Referee, it turned out that he never acted as a 4th official
because when 2 assistant referees didn’t make it to an early
morning game. Dave was promoted from 4th to AR and the two
supporting spectators who had attended with him (Alex and I) also
ended up officiating on the game. In the first game that Dave
refereed he signalled his intent very clearly by the 100%
performance he put in. I went back to the hotel later and told
Michael that he was like a ‘man possessed’ a man ‘on a mission’
with only one aim, to referee a final.
Throughout the week and despite being hindered by a knee cap
devoid of skin after it was scalped during a 100 mile an hour match
tumble and a day operating with only one good eye, the other was
full of toxic mix of sun block, hair cream and sweat, Dave put in an
immense effort that out shone every other referee that I saw at the
tournament.
When it came to the business end of the tournament and the knock
out games on the Friday evening I knew that things would start to
heat up so I organised a little motivational presentation for our
crew in our bedroom. I used a clip from the film ‘Any Given Sunday’
where a beleaguered American Football coach asks his team to give
everything they have and to fight for ‘every inch’ together to win
together or die trying. At this point I was worried that I had over
motivated Dave when he looked me in the eye and said that he
wanted to rip the hotel doors off. This made me laugh and think
that the long serving Hotel Palacio door man Jose would not be
pleased at all.
The measure of Dave and also the support of the Lincs FA team
came on an early Saturday morning match when he was appointed
to Referee a knock out stage game involving a team from Malaysia
versus a top French club academy side in Paris Saint Germain. Dave
put in a breath taking performance that was watched by a very
experienced and thorough assessor from Poland. A key decision
was made by Dave with a free kick awarded an ‘inch’ outside the
penalty area, this was after the assessor had exclaimed ‘wow’ at
Dave’s sprint to get into position. Alex was filming the game on his
tablet and with the Assessor questioning the accuracy of the key
match incident ‘inside or out?’ straight after the game we looked at
the footage. Dave was spot on! And the whole team had strained
themselves to support him that morning after a long, hot week of
football and matches that hadn’t finished until 9:30pm the evening
before. A great effort from Dave and with the support of his team
he claimed that inch that mattered.
I thought to myself that Dave had surely put himself firmly in the
frame for a final. After the tough games that Tom C, Tom B and
Alex had later that afternoon we all headed out, smartly dressed
for an end of tournament team meal with a view that we might
also indulge ourselves with a few drinks in the Cascais bars later.
The email came through as we set off with Dave’s Final
appointment confirmed on it. As a team we were ecstatic for Dave
and congratulated him with firm handshakes and the odd awkward
hug, some of us joked that he had ruined the week because now
the plans for the after meal drinks and late night bars were put
away.
The final day had arrived and we all had a relaxed 6 course
breakfast, Michael stated that he was pleased to be going home
today otherwise his onset of Diabetes would be brought forward by
at least 5 years as he tucked into a pile of pancakes, cream and
mixed fruits.
As a team we took turns at teasing Dave about how he would be
too big time to hang around with us from now on and I asked Dave
he would like to use ‘buzzer flags’ for his final as he had not been
able to fit his in the suitcase, we could maybe borrow some from
other officials in the hotel. It was typical of Dave to refuse this
offer and say ‘Well, I’ve not needed them all week, so I’ll be OK
thanks’.
This was made even more poignant when we arrived at the Estoril
Stadium where the finals were held and saw that the match official
on the u15s final that preceded Dave’s match. He had requested
not only buzzer flags but also two extra goal line officials also with
buzzer flags. The sight of 6 officials walking out all dressed in bright
yellow shirts and carrying more electronics than is stocked at an
average Curry’s store made us all smile.
Dave put in a first class performance on the final which was
appreciated by the teams that played, the tournament organisers,
fellow referees and tournament assessors that were watching.
And so Iber Cup 2015 was over and there was just time for us to
claim a pitch side team photo proudly holding the Lincolnshire flag.
We then had one last meal and super bock at ‘Deck Bar’ before
heading off to catch a flight home.
Last year we had the phrase ‘Just a polite amount’ and the rallying
call of ‘Never break the team’ that both carried important and
meaningful messages. In building the team bond this year we used
a phrase to encourage good communication ‘See these fingers’ but
the official strap line for the tournament was to ‘Give everything
for that extra inch’ because as was demonstrated so well by Dave it
is those inches that count between winning and losing.
To conclude I will repeat that in my opinion the Iber Cup is an
excellent tournament for developing referees. The 8 referees who
have attended from Lincolnshire over the last two years have all
now a closer bond, a camaraderie that has been forged through
their Iber Cup experiences. They will all work together on
numerous games for the County FA and for the FA on the
contributory leagues for many years to come and will be that bit
closer and better prepared because of the lessons learned at Iber.
They have been watched at the tournament by assessors that will
critique and mark their performances for many seasons to come
and because of this they now have personal connection that can
only be a positive for their future careers in refereeing.
The margins between success and failure from Level 4 upwards are
so small, sometimes only inches.
I hope you enjoy reading the personal accounts that follow. I’m
confident that they will all give a good account of the inches that
Tom, Alex, Dave and Tom put in.
Alex Sawden
Day 1 – Monday
My alarm goes off at 5am which feels like an hour after I went to
sleep. I get my hand luggage and load it into my car, just hoping
that all my refereeing gear is at Toms after we packed the case
together the night before. I get to Toms for 5.30am and luckily he
looks as tired as I do so that’s reassuring. The first thought we have
is that a McDonald’s is a necessity for the drive to Michaels in
Boston. Despite our enthusiasm, it didn’t open until 6am so we
made our way to Boston with an empty stomach. On arrival at
Michaels at 7am, Rob, Tom and Dave had also recently arrived to
the smell of cooking bacon which suddenly woke us up. On arrival
at the airport, it was typical that my phone screen stopped working
and just showed a bright red screen which remained inactive for
the trip. This was followed by Tom B creating his own version of
Ryanair luggage policy which then left Dave and himself haggling
with staff to get two of their four cases onto the flight. Whilst
relieved at our luggage going through under the weight limit, I then
caused the next hold up in security when my calculator flagged up
on the system as a mysterious item. A disposable glove later I
walked free through customs and joined the others for a bite to eat
before the flight. Arriving in Lisbon, the first thing we noticed was
the how hot it was, how on earth were we going to be able to
referee in this heat? We arrived at the airport to the sound of
teams chanting and other officials waiting near the entrance of the
arrivals lounge. They all had the same look on their face, who is
taking us to our hotel and when? Without hesitation we realised
we had to join their group. It was at this moment we heard news of
our hotel being fully booked and we had been moved. Hearing
news that we were being moved from a 4* hotel made me think,
where are we moving to, it could be a school with air beds in the
classrooms? Our residency for the week was at Hotel Palacio, a 5*
hotel in the center of Estoril with the likes of Princess Anne, Prince
of Saudi and Ian Fleming staying here in the past. After the
excitement of the hotel set in, we were up and out to go to a
welcoming meeting where all of the officials came together. We all
received a set of the rules, tournament guide and a pass for public
transport for the week. A room full of officials but from all different
nations, some from South Africa, Canada, America and Australia
but the majority from Europe. This is when I realised that I should
have paid attention to Spanish, French and German at school.
Following the welcome meeting, we were all ready for a quick bite
to eat and bed so made our way to the school canteen. A benefit of
being part of the tournament was that the food was included as
well as travel around Estoril. What we were about to realise after
the first few days was that both dinner and tea at the school
consisted of potatoes, pasta or rice, chicken and pork. Due to these
options, for the remainder of the week we decided to use the
school for lunch and eat elsewhere for tea.
Day 2 – Tuesday
Today was the day that we had been waiting for, our first breakfast
at the hotel … match day was close to being the talking point but
only when breakfast had finished. Walking down to breakfast we
didn’t know what to expect, a few apples and cereal would have
been appreciated, but what we were greeted by was a new level of
delicious! Once seated, the waiter would make you a drink and we
would then make our way to the spread of food. As a food lover
myself and one who likes the quantity of the food as much as the
quality, I had won on both levels here. From an array of fruit to a
tray of smoked salmon, sausage and bacon to freshly made
pastries. It would be rude not to go back up several times, and I
mean several times.
Of course the second talking point of the day and what we had all
been excited about for the past few months, the football. My day
began with a 9.45am kick off followed by a 12.15 kick off, both as
an assistant to English referees, the latter being Lincolnshire FA’s
Tom Bishop. Both games turned out to be very one sided. With
‘champions to be’ Chivas Guadalajara U16 (Max) beating Saint
Viator Lions (USA) 11-0. The chants of USA USA USA lasted around
2 minutes when Chivas slotted their second away. What was most
surprising and daunting was the Chivas players discipline with
very minimal celebrations after each goal. It was a ruthless
performance with every focus being on where the next goal was
coming from. After the first day, the team of officials started to
doubt Michael and Robs’ description of the tournament and the
challenges that last years’ officials faced. After these two games, it
was hard to believe. As the week continued, we certainly started
believing the stories.
Now the tournament was underway, we made our way into Cascais
for the opening ceremony where we were surrounded by teams
from all nations. In front of us was a team from England, behind
was Zambia under 16 and to the right was an Argentinian side. It
would be rude not to acknowledge the ladies who were to the left
of us, some very athletic cheerleaders although it seemed that they
found it rather hard to spell ESTORIL with giant cards. By the time
the opening ceremony finished we were all extremely hungry so
made a team decision to find food. Much to Robs’ disappointment
as he was enjoying the ceremony (and the cheerleaders). I love my
food and usually want to try something different although I very
much dislike fish and olives. So we sat down at an Italian and I
strategically chose the pizza with the most ingredients, all 9 of
which I didn’t understand what they were. My pizza arrived, one
quarter was ham and salami – good! Another quarter was cheese
and tomato – safe but good! The following quarters just had to be
… a quarter of tuna and a quarter of olives … say no more
Day 3 – Wednesday
Once again we were woken up to the greatest breakfast
imaginable. It has now reached the stage where most officials are
aware of just how good Hotel Palacios is, mainly due to the stories
coming from ourselves and the other counties staying in the hotel
with us.
Today was my first game in the middle and fourth official. The real
pre-match nerves and excitement started to set in now. My game
was at 11.30 and consisted of a Portuguese and Croatian team
along with two Italian officials. It was at this point I learnt how our
FA is rather unique compared to a lot of European football
associations. Being an English official, we have the choice and will
experience being both an assistant and referee on most weekends.
In France, Italy, Holland and other nations, they either choose to be
an assistant or referee. On this game both of my assistants were
Italian referees so this was their first experience as assistants which
made my pre-match longer than usual as you can expect. The game
ended at 4-0 and didn’t really throw up many challenges. The main
challenge was without a doubt my own positioning, at one point
I was standing with the supporters and then the next minute I was
pirouetting on the center circle with a neck like an owl. Whether it
was pure excitement, an adrenaline rush or just a total memory
lapse, this was something that I needed to correct as soon as
possible. After our games we made our way back to the hotel at
3pm following our daily dose of potatoes, pasta or rice and chicken
or pork. After my first middle and a huge learning curve already, it
was nice to reflect on my performance and try and prepare myself
for my next game. At this point I felt fuelled with drive and
motivation. Being part of a team of officials is something I am used
too now. Being part of a team of officials who are all striving to be
the best official on that game really opened my eyes and made me
want to compete.
The final talking point of the day is the place that has become our
second home in Estoril, The Deck Bar Restaurant. Situated in a
square around 2 minutes from our palace, we took a chance on the
Tuesday night and it definitely paid off. A limited menu range but a
surrounding view that you couldn’t imagine and this view
continued every night, olive skin and dark hair swamped the
outside seating area, much to our enjoyment. It appeared that
other counties also shared this interest of a fine outside dining
area.
Day 4 – Thursday
Its day 4, the last three days have passed in a blink of an eye. I have
refereed one, fourth manned one and assisted on two. We are all
still partly disbelieving Rob and Michaels stories about police
turning up for games last year, games being abandoned and the
rather large card count in some games they watched last year. As a
team of officials we have had a handful of yellow cards, no red
cards and no real problems that we couldn’t handle. Apart from my
positioning that is! It was also at this stage in the week when I had
to carry out the usual holiday counting of socks and underpants,
along with trying to find my referee kit which just ended up in
Toms’ organised mess.
Today was the day we started to believe Michael and Robs stories,
especially me. The day started late at 4.15pm which was
appreciated due to our new found love for the Portuguese lager
Super Bock. I was fourth official with Tom being an assistant for a
young Italian referee. His pre-match started with all decisions in the
penalty area are mine no matter what. This was followed by the
instruction to me that all substitutions have got to be done when
the ball is out of play with his permission. Even though competition
rules stated that substitutes were roll on and roll off whilst the ball
is in play. At this stage Tom and I looked at each other with the
same expression … this could be interesting. Despite the
unconvincing pre-match, the young referee did the basics right and
showed some promise and I enjoyed being part of his team.
My game was at 5.30pm and I had a full European team of officials,
a Dutch assistant, Belgium assistant and Italian fourth assistant.
After being stood in the sun as fourth for over an hour, I needed to
wake up and focus. By this point in the tournament I had been
watching other officials, especially our very own Dave Jones who
appeared unnerved about cautioning a youth player. I took it on my
chin and acknowledged that I needed to acquire this more ruthless
edge about my game as the players knew what they was doing. This
was a game between two Portuguese teams and quarter finals
were tomorrow so everything was to play for. My first problem was
with my fourth official who unfortunately spoke very little English
and may had been watching the game prior to this where I was
forced to carry out substitutes in dead ball situations. Despite my
pre-match he wouldn’t allow players to come on whilst the ball
was in play. After several shouts saying ‘yes please’ and ‘you can
come on whenever you are ready’, I think the guys in the dug outs
got the impression. Challenge one complete. Challenge two
occurred in the first half when I awarded SC Lourel (White) a
penalty as one of their strikers was tripped as he ran laterally to the
penalty spot. I cautioned the CD Feirense (Green No.4) defender
and the kick was scored. Challenge two defeated. Challenge three is
one that defeated me and I was totally oblivious to it even
occurring. The final five minutes of the game, 1-0 to SC Lourel
(White). CD Feirense took a corner which white defended very well
and began a counter attack to try and secure the win. Just behind
the half way line in their defensive half, green 14 brought down a
SC Lourel player. I saw the offence, blew my whistle to bring the
player to me where I was waiting with my book and yellow card
and I administered the caution. The remainder of the game was
very quiet, match control was regained and handshakes were
received from both teams. I walked proudly to the changing rooms
were I was met by Michael who was assessing me, we started the
normal de-brief procedure of checking the numbers of those
cautioned.
Me: Green number 4 and green number 14.
Michael: Are you 100% sure it was green number 14?
Me: (starts to replay the decision in head) Of course, I don’t know
why I would have got the wrong man?
Michael: It was green number 4 again, as soon as you put your
head down to look at your book, number 4 ran back and number 14
ran towards you.
Me: Oh my god …
For the remainder of the night, that 30 seconds constantly replayed
in my mind. How could it have happened?
The day soon got better after Rob and Michael introduced us to a
secret gem that they discovered last year, a delightful
patisserie which was just a short bus journey away from where we
had been based today. We walked in and I have never seen such an
array of picture perfect cakes. These were the hardest decisions I
have seen the Lincolnshire FA officials make all tournament, just
one cake or two? The strangest thing was that a cake and a coffee
came to around three euros, which wouldn’t be enough for a coffee
alone in England. We thought we would have a selfie, just so Tom
could see what he was missing as he chilled at the hotel
Day 5 – Friday
So by now you know that we are still in awe of the hotel. We don’t
open many doors, we haven’t made our own drink yet, breakfast is
incredible, every lunch time we have a chocolate delivered onto
our bed and we didn’t think it could get much better… until we
discovered the indoor ‘dynamic swimming pool’. If I heard of a
dynamic swimming pool in Cleethorpes, I would just assume the
wave machine has broken and is now left constantly on. This
however was the real deal. After a 3 minute walk through various
marble floored tunnels and up and down two different lifts you
would arrive at the spa facility where you was handed a robe.
Opening doors to the pool and you were greeted by a reasonably
sized swimming pool which had a crescent shaped lazy river
running around the main diameter of the pool. Within that
diameter was a range of water features that you could walk
towards and the staff would turn them on for you (although this
was rather tempting to turn into a game). Surrounding the pool
was a ‘refreshing shower’ and several steam rooms and saunas all
which had the feature of different aroma’s. I turned to Michael and
said ‘this must be what it’s like to be a professional footballer’.
Although I joked, after coming out of the spa I felt incredible
relaxed but focused and rearing to go. So it might be worth a
suggestion at the next Lincs FA board meeting, build one for these
facilities to use before County Cup games!
Today is the final day of fixtures which appears on the Iber Cup
Portal which makes me realise that we are very much near the end
of the tournament. After feeling in the zone after the spa, Rob
decided that it was time for a pre-match motivation session where
he played a video about decision making and leading each other in
with ‘these two fingers’ and also a scene from ‘Any given Sunday’
about going the ‘extra inch’ and putting 100% in.
We had two evening kick offs were I was an assistant in both in all
English teams. We arrived at the venue in Carcavelos which was at
the end of a mud track you would see in a film were the lead
characters get ambushed. It was that stage in the tournament
where if a team lost they would be sent home meanwhile the
winners would advance further so the stakes were high. The heat
was unbearable at 4pm when our first game kicked off, I felt like a
live lobster which has been thrown onto a pan to fry. A persistent
infringer was the sun cream which kept melting away on my face
and dripping down into my eye so I effectively spent the majority of
the first half with one eye judging offside. Both games were a good
standard with both teams wanting to push themselves and I felt
because of their energy, it drove me to put that extra inch into my
game and the second game especially was possibly my best
performance up to now. There were no real standard points, issues
or concerns to discuss from the game itself. However after the
second game with Tom Bishop as the referee, you could tell from
our reaction that the whole team work from the officials was top
draw. I said to Tom, ‘that was most likely the most eye contact I
have used with the referee’ and you could tell because every
decision was synchronised with the assistants and referee mirroring
the signals. The large amount of eye contact was probably down to
me not being able to see a great deal as well so I relied on Tom!
The great day at the office was felt all around and we didn’t want
to break tradition, like last night … and the night before that, we
went to the Deck Bar to wind down. It was also this night were
everyone realised that the best thing on the menu was the
Peppered Steak, except Tom who asked for the Peppered Steak
without the pepper … also known as a steak.
Day 6 – Saturday
Just before we headed to our rooms for some sleep yesterday
evening, we found out our final games of the tournament. Tom
Cadman had been appointed to an Under 14’s semi-final as the
referee. Tom Bishop and I had been appointed to the semi-final of
the Under 16 Group B gam. It was between GDS Carcavelos and
GSD Cascais, two Portuguese teams 9 miles away from each other.
If there was a game all tournament that could offer up a challenge,
this was the one. I carried out the daily routine of stocking up on
breakfast and then went to the spa for a quick pre-match session to
get in the right mind set. I knew this was going to be tough, all of
the stories from last year that Rob and Michael had relayed could
happen on a game like this.
Me and the two Toms travelled to the ground early in order to
prepare and we arrived to find holes on the goal line where rugby
posts had been, no water bottles, no football and holes in the nets
… good job we got there early. After kick off was delayed,
Tom controlled his game, cruising alongside the angry Portuguese
parent who mirrored each step he made up and down the pitch.
After some tense situations in Toms’ game, it prepared me to be
strong and almost ruthless in my decision making for what was to
follow. 10 minutes into the 25 minute each half game and everyone
seemed happy, I was cruising along and nothing had really tested
me or required a major call. I spoke too soon. Another 5 minutes
passed, the players started to get frustrated with their lack of
opportunities. Tactical challenges started to happen and
increasingly often, so I decided to caution a player to try and deter
more coming in – proactive refereeing you could say … or just busy!
At 22 minutes, a defender is shielding the ball from the attacker in
front of the dug outs, the attacker is getting frustrated so tugs his
shirt, I look to referee the end of the half safely, so acknowledge
the foul and signal. Without even looking at me, the attacker kicks
the defender across the back of the heels. Game on. I sprint over
and pull the red card straight out and without any reaction or
explanation he walks away. I ask the physio to come on to treat the
injured player and I can’t quite believe what I have seen out the
corner of my eye. The attacker has then walked up to the corner
flag and kicked it in half, one half is in the ground and the other half
is spiralling through the air. This now became a game of time
management to calm down the situation. I decided to wait until the
corner flag had been replaced and then again waited until the
injured player found his ankles and decided to blow my whistle for
half time- another great opportunity for the players to relax and
calm down. The second half threw another challenge for me to
handle. An attacker was sprinting into the box, lateral with the
penalty spot and was brought down by the defender. I awarded
the free kick and gave the players on the edge of the box an
instruction as they all looked like sprinters on starting blocks
waiting to hear my whistle. Tom and I were both in position, the
taker stepped up and hit it in the top right corner of the goal but
the ball came shooting back out at him. He ran off to the corner flag
to celebrate with his team mates. Meanwhile the opposition got
the ball and started to counter attack. I looked at Tom … he looked
at me … I looked at Tom thinking ‘do something’ … he looked at me
thinking ‘do something’. It took probably 3 seconds for my brain to
process that the ball had gone in but hit the corner arch of the goal
post and came straight back out. But those 3 seconds felt like 3
minutes with all the eyes of surrounding people just staring and
waiting for a decision. I eventually signalled for a goal and ran
towards the players celebrating (go with the happy people).
I came off this game feeling very proud of myself, I was dripping
with sweat, had a face like a tomato but thoroughly enjoyed the
challenges that it gave me. We completed our final day officiating
with a well-earned ice cream from the site.
Day 7 – Sunday
We woke up this morning with our first lie in under our belts and
despite the disappointment of not having a game, it was great to
now relax and enjoy the final few hours.
It is the final day of the tournament, the show case finals at Estorils
stadium. The same stadium hosted the Portugal national teams
training session just a few months ago. Throughout the week we
had all worked hard, put in the extra inch, made one or two
mistakes but nevertheless we gave it 100% and sprinted 9 times out
of 10 to keep up with play for credibility. One man giving it 110%
and sprinting every single time when it was necessary was Dave
and this paid off when he was appointed to the Under 16 final. As a
team that week, we were so proud and chuffed when Dave was
appointed to the game and I couldn’t believe how excited I was to
watch him the following afternoon, as a team of officials from Lincs
FA it was like a team of proud parents watching on. Dave walked
out onto the pitch to the champions league music with two teams
raring to go. Dave controlled the game throughout and you could
see that he wanted that extra-long ball or counter attack to
challenge him and it was great to see and very much motivating
with the new season just weeks away.
Following the game we all congratulated Dave and made our way
to the patisserie which we visited earlier on in the week as Tom
wanted to experience the beautiful desserts. And then that was it,
realisation kicked in that it was time to get our luggage from the
hotel, wait for the taxi and before we knew it was saying goodbye
to José who was a legend at the hotel. I had a drive from Boston to
Cleethorpes at 1am and then from Cleethorpes to Sheffield at 7am
for work to look forward to so made the decision to try and get as
much sleep as possible on the plane home. We arrived at Stansted
and then into Boston at around 1am and temperatures that made
me miss Portugal very quickly.
The Iber Cup 2015 – What An Experience
It is hard to summarise or even give a brief description of my
experience at The Iber Cup. When family have asked what was
Portugal like, I have kind of just had to laugh and say amazing,
simply because I could be there all day with all of the different
stories. Here we go - a summary of my five highlights of The Iber
Cup in ascending order of priority.
5. Estoril – Being in my top five, the category of Estoril has to
combine so many points, Hotel Palacio, the Deck Bar Restaurant,
Europe’s largest casino, the local schools canteen facilities and I
could go on. It may not be a particularly well known place to visit
in Portugal and outside of the tournament time I can see it being
very quiet for a large town, but it holds so many brilliant places.
Our favourite being the hotel and restaurant which made our time
at the tournament that extra bit special.
4. The Portuguese People – This was my first visit to Portugal as it
has never stood out to me as a place to visit, I will definitely be
visiting again. The local people where amazing, so polite, helpful
and they could have a joke as good as any Englishman could.
3. The Tournament Itself- The tournament was run very well to say
how big it is and the infrastructure that it must need in place. There
was the odd hiccup where officials didn’t turn up but this was due
to transport failures and other officials would happily stand in
place. It was a great tournament to be a part of and a large amount
of appreciation must go to the guys who organise this every year
and the hard work they put it.
2. Networking – This could very easy be renamed as learning. The
tournament was a great opportunity to meet and get to know other
officials, referee coaches/mentors and league assessors. The ability
to speak to assessors about a referee on a game you’re watching
and ask him what he is looking for or speak to another official
about their games and what they learnt is something you can’t do
every Saturday. I now have a list of people I could ring up after a
game on a Saturday and just go over a decision or incident with and
the support each official showed each other through the
tournament was brilliant.
1. My Lincolnshire FA Colleagues – In my opinion, the best team in
the tournament. I could not ask for anything else from such a great
group of 5 guys. I didn’t know what to expect, sharing a room with
Michael and Tom and it’s a close environment to be around 5 other
guys for 6 days who you only really see a few Saturdays of a year.
But we all bounced off each other, genuinely enjoyed each others
company and enjoyed a few beers on each night after our games.
This team spirit showed on the field of play because when you
stepped on there, I knew that either Tom B, Dave or Tom C would
have my back and I would have theirs. I couldn’t have asked for a
better set of colleagues for the tournament and wish them all the
best for the new season. Rob and Michael where alright as well I
suppose! Joking aside, us four officials would not have learnt what
we did without the work Rob and Michael carried out off the field
to get us to Portugal. Whilst in Portugal they would ensure we
where were we needed to be each day and would still give us great
coaching points after each game and try improve us that little bit
further, even if we were getting assessed as well. I am very
appreciative of those guys for this and hopefully we were not too
annoying.
Once again, thank you The Iber Cup for being great hosts and
Lincolnshire FA for flying the flag high and proud.
Tom Cadman
Since the day I found out I had been selected as part of the
Lincolnshire team for the 2015 Iber Cup I was buzzing with
excitement for the challenge ahead. It wasn’t every day that the
opportunity to officiate on games with a mix of nationalities arose.
I understood that the language barrier would be difficult and I
would have to manipulate the ways of communication to suit the
teams. As the appointments for the first three days were released, I
was teamed up with a range of different match officials. On most
games I would be in a team with English officials, but on some I
would be paired with a mix of nationalities. So, now I didn’t only
have to think about how I would communicate to the players, but I
had to plan on how I was going to communicate within my
refereeing team.
Monday 29th June
Finally the day I had been waiting for so long had arrived, there was
a mixture of excitement and nerves as I woke up that morning,
because although having spoken to Michael Brader and Rob Atkin
about last year’s tournament and experiences, I was still unsure on
what to expect. We were flying from London Stansted airport at
around 11am, so to do so we were meeting at Michael’s house in
Boston at 7am.
Once we made it through customs, we made a quick pit stop at
Burger King and witnessed a young kid take a dive from his stool
and land heavily on the floor, despite the tears it didn’t get in the
way of his chips.
When we landed at Lisbon airport, the temperature reading was 34
degrees. After a short wait, we were told our transfer was ready for
us and we crammed into a minibus and off we went. Whilst fearing
for our lives as the driver thought she was Lewis Hamilton, we
managed to get a glimpse of two football stadiums in Lisbon, the
Estádio da Luz the home of Benfica and Estádio José Alvalade the
home of Sporting Lisbon. We then found out that we had been
upgraded, due to overbooking to a 5 star hotel, Hotel Palacio, and
when we arrived, we were greeted by the doorman Jose and
entered the majestic building. During our stay we discovered that
previous guests at this hotel included the King and Queen of Spain
and Princess Anne. Once unpacked we had a few hours to enjoy
the pool area and explore the hotel.
Later that night there was a meeting scheduled at a nearby school
for all the referees at the tournament, and when we arrived the
room was packed full of match officials from a range of different of
countries. We were given a short presentation on what to expect
from the tournament, travel arrangements and the rules of the
tournament by Daniel Curcio. Most games were scheduled to be 25
minutes each way, with the biggest difference being that
substitutions didn’t have to occur at a stoppage in play, to ensure
the game kept flowing and to avoid any time wasting tactics from
teams. After the meeting we headed to the nearby cafeteria, where
we were treated to chicken and rice which was basic but due to the
long day, I would have eaten anything right then. We headed to a
nearby bar afterwards were the plan for the following day was
discussed. All four of us were at Jamor, which involved a 30 minute
train journey to get there, for games that were due to start at
8:30am, so it was another early start.
Tuesday 30th June
After a 6am start, a quick pack of the bag and about 4 visits to the
breakfast table, we departed to Jamor and arrived in good time.
The pitch was overlooked by the former Portuguese national
stadium, which hosted Celtic’s victory over Benfica in the 1967
European Cup. Today in refereeing teams we had been paired up
with 4 referees from Hampshire. The first game involved Tom, in
which he acted as a 4th official so I made sure I watched closely to
ensure I could get a good feel for the atmosphere of what was to
come.
4th Official – Arsenal U13 (POR) 6 vs. Real Sport Clube U13 (POR) 0
Referee: Jonathan Butt (Hampshire) Assistants: Dave Jones
(Lincolnshire) Alex Sawden (Lincolnshire)
Assessor: Rob Atkin (Lincolnshire)
In a one sided game, there wasn’t much for me to do as 4th official,
but it was a good chance for me to practice my communication
skills to the two benches. The Real Sport Clube coach was very keen
and I lost count the number of times, I spoke to him but after his
team conceded a few goals he retreated to his dugout. From the
Arsenal dugout, they had about 4 coaches who all wanted to stand,
but when I explained to them that only one could stand, this was
accepted. Once there was only one standing it was a lot easier to
manage. Probably the most important traits as a 4th official is to be
authoritative and to maintain high concentration levels.
Referee – Sporting CP U13 (POR) 7 vs. Hellerup IK U13 (DEN) 1
Assistants: Alex Mathieson
(Hampshire) Paul Roots
(Hampshire) 4th: Ross Murphy
(Hampshire)
Assessor: Brian Le Breton
(Hampshire)
This was it, my first middle at
the Iber Cup, what I had been
waiting months for. I felt nervous, but I know if I do what I normally
do, I would be fine. Before the game even began I was thrown into
situation that I had never been into before. One of the Hellerup
players had broken his arm before the tournament had begun and
it was requested by his coach for him to be able touch the ball. It
was decided he would take kick off and with the substitution rule
he would run straight off. So, that was out of the way and the game
began. The skill level in this game was absolutely incredible
especially by the Sporting side when they scored one of the best
goals I have ever seen. The game went by without any issues with
Sporting comfortable winners, who would later go on to win this
age group. In the assessment I was picked up on a couple of
advantages that I played, which were more for possession and not
for an attacking advantage. Good points from the game were that I
had good match control and application of law, along with good
communication skills, with the use of hand signals and gestures.
Overall I was very happy with my first game in the middle. After the
games had been completed for the morning, we headed back to the
hotel and relaxed around the pool area again before the night’s
opening ceremony.
That night we took the train into
Caiscais, where we walked to the
ceremony. There was a large
podium in the middle of the playing
field, with a stand either side, filled
with players and officials from all
ages and nationalities. The
ceremony didn’t start on time, but
was good fun once it started, with
all the nations walking in with their
native flags, followed a few players
from each team from that country.
This was interrupted by a singer who had won Portugal’s got Talent
and beatboxer who had also starred on the show, but they both
certainly didn’t have any talent. A couple of hours later we left the
stadium, although Rob didn’t want to leave, and made the decision
to get some food, which resulted in everyone getting a pizza and a
couple of beers, which was a great way to end the first day of the
tournament in Estoril.
Wednesday 1st July
Today we were split up with Alex and Dave out in the morning
accompanied by Rob. I was at Jamor again in the afternoon so I was
able to have a lay in, as we had made a team decision not to go
watch each other today due to being split up. Tom was also out in
the afternoon, but at a different venue. On the train to Jamor, me
and Michael started talking to some Italians who were also
referees, and they were very keen to ask questions. As we arrived
at our stop, they took a while to get to the door, so I took a
different exit. As I got off the train, the doors shut. I turned around
to look for Michael and he had not managed to get off in time, so
the Italians had the chance to ask Michael some more questions,
before he could swap train and return to the right stop.
Assistant – Chivas Guadalajara U16 (MEX) 2 vs. Ullem IFA U16
(NOR) 0
Referee: Enrico Gemilli (Italy) Assistant: Akeel Ahmed (West Riding)
4th: Lauren Browne (West Riding)
Assessor: Brian Reilly
(Manchester)
On this game, it was my first
experience of working with an
official from a different
country. The language barrier
was difficult for this game, and
we had to use a translator to
communicate. This game went well though and we were praised
on our teamwork. I was also praised for my signals and my body
language which is key when running the line.
Assistant – Aqualife Doxa Anoixis U13 (GRE) 3 vs. NS Alcabideche
U13 (POR) 0
Referee: Arran Williams (West Riding) Assistant: Akeel Ahmed
(West Riding) 4th: Enrico Gemilli (Italy)
Assessor: Brian Reilly (Manchester)
The game also ran very well, with
little for us a refereeing team to do.
Again, I praised on my signals. One
thing that arose from these team
games this afternoon was how to
correctly signal for a goal kick. The
other assistant was picked up on not
following the ball down to the goal
line when signalling for a goal kick. After speaking to Dave
Richardson (ex Fifa assistant) that evening at dinner, he told us that
the advised way to signal for a goal kick is follow the ball down the
goal line if possible, then move back up to in line with the goal area
to signal. Then move to the edge of the penalty area to check the
position of the ball, and then sprint to be in line with the second to
last defender.
On the train home, we met a young referee from Northern Ireland,
who didn’t look in the best of ways and we said we would walk him
back to the hotel, as he was staying at the same one as us. When
we stepped off the train, he collapsed and an ambulance had to be
called. The reason for this was down to too much sun, and seeing
the affects that it can have on the body. Ensured that I kept to the
shade and remained hydrated at all times.
Thursday 2nd July
Referee – Assistant: Joona Kontinen (FIN) Jonathan Mainz (FIN) 4th:
Thom de Gucht (HOL)
Assessor: Dave Addison (Manchester)
This was my second game as referee and again was at Jamor, this
time for a 8:30am start. Despite the mixture of nationalities in my
refereeing team, the language barrier wasn’t much of an issue. The
two lads from Finland could both speak good English and my 4th
from Holland, could also understand basic English. I kept my pre
match instructions as short and as simple as possible, to avoid any
confusion between us though as there may have been a
misinterpretation. I touched on things such as when to get involved
on the line and that I wanted lots of teamwork between us all. The
game went well though and the game was end to end.
I had two cautions in the match, one for charging down a free kick
and one for a cynical pull. Dave was a really good assessor, who
had plenty of development points for me. His main point was about
short sprints to get into position quickly, because you gain those
extra yards on play, and therefore are in a better position to make
a decision. He said that everything links together well when
refereeing, work rate links to positioning, which links to decision
making, linking to match control, linking to application of law. All of
these areas are key on the assessment scheme back at home, and
putting those extra sprints in could help me in all areas of my
refereeing performance.
Again I was praised on my hand signals and body language, which is
something I have worked on since beginning in the assessment
scheme. Whilst on the train home and discussing the game with
Michael, we spoke about a player who I had spoken to a number of
times, and probably too many without issuing a caution. As a
referee, I tend to try and manage things, and maybe too much on
this occasion.
Friday 3rd July
Today was the first day of knock out games, so it was expected the
temperature of the games to rise today. We were allocated games
all in the afternoon at the same ground so we would have the
chance to watch each other’s games. Rob wanted us to all meet at
his room 15 minutes before we left to give us a motivational talk.
As we entered the Champions League music was playing, and this
would instantly get any football fan pumped up for a game. We
were shown a clip from the film Any Given Sunday and the speech
that Al Pacino gives to his American football team. The theme of
the speech was to never give up and fight for those extra inches. By
the end of the clip we were all ready for the games and couldn’t
wait for them to start.
Assistant – B Quarter Final – CAC Pontinha U14 (POR) 6 vs. CD
Juveantioquia U14 (COL) 0
Referee: Jak Hill (Kent) Assistant: Dave Jones (Lincolnshire) 4th:
Harry Phillips (Kent)
Assessor: Michael Brader (Lincolnshire)
This game was one sided which was a shame, for my first
involvement in the knockout rounds. The Colombian team started
the game sat in the shade opposite the dugout when obviously they
shouldn’t be doing so. At half time, the referee tried to sort things
out but they didn’t come across. This is an example of as the
referee, needing to be in charge of every situation, and the
Colombians won this one.
Assistant – Quarter Final – RCD Espanyol U18F (SPA) 2 vs. UD Ponte
Frielas U18F (POR) 1
Referee: Harry Phillips (Kent)
Assistant: Dave Jones
(Lincolnshire) 4th: Jak Hill
(Kent)
Assessor: Michael Brader
(Lincolnshire)
This game was a lot closer,
and my first ever
involvement in a female game, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. There
wasn’t much said to me by Michael about my performance, but just
to think about when to and when not to come in with the flag, and
to understand what the game wants.
Saturday 4th July
We received these appointments late on the Friday night, myself,
Alex and Tom were all down at Jamor in the afternoon, with Dave
out early in the morning. We all went to watch Dave as this could
be possibly our last games. Dave had an extremely good game, and
was a perfect example to watch in terms of the short sprints, that I
was picked up on earlier on in the week. A few minutes into the
game, there was a tight decision for Dave to make whether a foul
was inside or outside the area, luckily Alex was filming the game
and we got to look back at it. Dave got it correct, by inches.
Referee – B Semi Final - SU 1º Dezembro (POR) 0 vs. Hellerup IK
(DEN) 1
Assistants: Jak Hill (Kent) Gianluigi Ferrera (ITA) 4th Alex Sawden
(Lincolnshire)
No Assessor
The temperature this afternoon, must have been up in the high
thirties and was extremely hard to referee in. I had been waiting
days for this game, as Michael had kept reminding me about the
player that I had spoken to a number of times and not cautioned,
so I wanted to correct this in this game. In the first few minutes of
the game there was a shout for a pass-back, and I didn’t give it. I
still don’t know whether it was or wasn’t but this showed to me,
that I had to be really switched on in this game. The match was end
to end with chances for both teams. The game was decided by a
free kick, which I gave because the goalkeeper decided to walk out
of the area with the ball. The temperature of the game rose from
here and more and more cynical fouls began to be committed.
Facing elimination from the tournament, the Portuguese team,
began arguing with every decision I made, which I ended up by the
end of the game having to issue 7 cautions. The Portuguese parents
were singing Yellow Submarine to me at one point, as they were
obviously not happy with my decision to use my cards.
4th Official – B Semi Final – GS Carcavelos B (POR) 2 vs. GDS Caiscais
A (POR) 1
Referee: Alex Sawden (Lincolnshire) Assistant: Tom Bishop
(Lincolnshire) Cristian De Caro (Italy)
To have another game standing around in the
sun straight after my middle was not ideal, but
with the help of a cap and some water I was
ready for my final game of the tournament. I
didn’t have much to do in this game, only the
standard telling the coaches to step away from
the pitch for example. Alex gave a strong
performance in this game, which was
challenging. He had to issue a straight red for
violent conduct, which nobody complained with, but the player
wasn’t happy and ending up snapping the corner flag in half on his
way off the pitch.
That night we were treated to a meal with a sea view, for our final
night in Portugal. Whilst on the way to the restaurant, we found
out that Dave had been awarded the under 16’s final at Estoril
stadium, he had also been awarded with the golden whistle award
as the best referee at the tournament. This was a great
achievement, and having watched Dave in most of his matches it
was fully deserved.
Sunday 5th July
Today we was
up early to
enjoy our last
few hours in the Palacio before we headed to the finals. We took a
taxi up to the stadium, and once we entered the stadium the
atmosphere was brilliant. We watched the under 14’s final before
Dave’s began which ended with a sudden death penalty shoot-out.
The under 16’s final was contested between a Mexican side, Chivas
Guadalajara and Bodo Glimt from Norway. It was a good game to
watch with chances for both teams, but the Mexicans were a class
above and ran out 2-0 deserved winners.
To be able to go to the Iber Cup was a superb opportunity, and the
amount that I learnt was incredible. I could have only dreamed of
being put into situations like those I faced. I was immensely proud
to have represented the Lincolnshire Football Association and I
believe that everyone involved did themselves proud with their
refereeing performances. This tournament has motivated me for
my upcoming season, which will be first season at Level 4. I cannot
wait for the season to begin to test myself at the higher level.
I would like to take this opportunity to give special thanks to Rob
and Michael for their time and support over this week and also
everybody at the Lincolnshire Football Association.
Iber Cup 2015: The Experience of a Lifetime
By Thomas Bishop
Having just completed my first season as a Level 4 Referee,
the opportunity to participate in the Iber Cup 2015 could not have
come at a better time. Labelled as the referees’ equivalent of a 7day intensive driving course by Rob, I knew beforehand that the
tournament was going to prove immensely beneficial and
enjoyable. In truth, my high expectations were not only matched,
but comfortably exceeded, with the trip being one of the best
weeks of my life, and me returning to England as a far better
referee than the one who left seven days earlier.
What made the trip all the more special was how quickly the
six of us from the Lincolnshire FA bonded as a group. With so much
physical and mental effort required during our games, it was
important to switch off when away from the field of play, and the
camaraderie within our group meant this was easy. I, for example,
seemed unable to finish a meal without spilling half of it down my
top, something which did not go unnoticed with the rest of the
group, who took great delight in regularly offering me a bib. I
would like to thank Michael and Rob at the very beginning for their
hard work and patience during the trip. It was also a privilege to
watch Dave referee the main final at the end of the week; a
thoroughly deserved appointment after being the outstanding
referee at the tournament.
The 4 Lincs FA match officials, Daddy Atkin and Grandad Brader
The Refereeing
All three of the games I refereed were drastically different,
presenting me with various challenges. I worked with officials from
various countries, including Italy and Holland.
The One-sided game:
Chivas Guadalajara (Mexico) v Saint Viator Lions (USA)
12:15
U16 11-0
Having been warned by those who attended the previous
year’s tournament that this could be an extremely competitive
match, given the traditional rivalry between Mexico and the USA,
and the physical nature of both sides, I was anticipating a highly
challenging game. I must admit that the nerves had slowly been
building since the appointments were released, and by the time
kick off approached I was far more nervous than I normally was for
a Supply League game, despite this being an u16 game. Why? I
think as much as anything a desire to impress my peers. I knew the
Lincs FA had sent a very strong group of match officials, and I
wanted to prove I was worth my place in the group. As it turned
out, Chivas scored early on, and then again, and then again, and so
on. Their ruthlessness and focus was incredible, hardly showing any
emotion after scoring, but simply running back to their own half to
go again.
Despite the one-sided nature, the game proved to be
challenging in a number of ways. For a start, for a fair-skinned boy
from Scunthorpe who burns at the mere thought of sunshine, a
12:15 kick off in Portugal was always going to be energy-sapping in
the midday heat. Thankfully the temperate remained bearable, and
the pitch was well covered in shade. It became clear early on that
the Mexicans did not speak much English, meaning most of my
communication had to be done through body language. Short, easy
words, such as ‘OK’, ‘Yes please’ and ‘No thank you’, became
extremely useful (also aiding communication with the Grimsby
boys!!), and was something I would use throughout the
tournament. I also had to be alert to any acts of frustration from
the American side as the score got more embarrassing, but the
game passed without any major incident.
The Simmering Game:
Rapid Wien (Austria) v SU Dezembro (Portugal)
18:45
U13 1-0
If I was slightly disappointed that my first game had been so
one-sided, this game more than made up for it. Despite “only”
being an u13 game, this proved to be my hardest game of the
week, with both sides desperate to win (and keep their chances of
qualification alive), having lost their first games. The tackles were
flying in, and by the second half the temperature of the game had
really started to rise.
Whilst I was generally satisfied with my overall performance, I
felt I could have done slightly more to bring the temperature of the
game down, or even prevent it reaching the level it did in the first
place. A couple of advantages that I played were unhelpful. Instead,
I could have blown for the free kick, slowing the game down and
giving me an opportunity to speak to the offending player.
Likewise, I could have adjusted my foul tolerance levels slightly,
taking the sting out of the game. A couple of yellow cards at certain
stages may have also helped to settle the game down. My Italian
assessor shared similar thoughts after the game, but also praised
my positioning. These were valuable lessons learnt, and while I left
the game slightly disappointed not to have put in my best
performance, I also knew things were now much clearer in my head
about how to control a game when the temperature was rising,
something I knew would benefit me enormously in the long term.
The Physical Game:
Men Martins SC (Portugal) v Saint Dominic’s ISP (Portugal)
18.45
u15 2-0
Having had a couple of days wait until my next game, I was
desperate to put into practice the lessons learnt in my previous
game. This Portuguese derby was always going to offer that
opportunity, with it proving to be a very physical game. The foul
count was very high, especially in the first half, as I heeded the
lessons from my previous game, and adopted a firmer approach. A
couple of early yellow cards also helped to establish my match
control.
This was by far my favourite game of the tournament, not
merely because I was pleased with my own performance, but also
as a result of the level of teamwork between the four officials. We
had worked together earlier in the afternoon (I was 4 th official), and
had got to know each other throughout the day. Rob’s
“motivational” videos before we left the hotel were a useful way to
break the ice, and by the time we stepped onto the field of play for
this game, we all wanted to do well for the rest of the team. Given
that Alex, one of the assistant referees, was looking directly into
the sun, eye contact was even more vital than usual. His comment
at the end of the game, that it was the ‘most eye contact he’d ever
had with a referee’, was particular pleasing. I left that game with a
real spring in my step, delighted that I’d ended on a positive note.
Assistant Refereeing:
I also acted as an assistant
referee three times during the
tournament. The highlight was
working with an Italian referee,
whose
style
differed
considerably from the majority
of English referees. For instance, Gianluigi instructed us not to give
any decisions inside the 18 yard box, and wanted substitutions to
be done when the ball was out of play (despite competition rules
stating that rolling substitutes were permissible).
An
interesting
incident
occurred involving a penalty
when I was assistant referee
for Alex. The player struck
the penalty into the top
corner extremely powerfully,
hitting a metal pole behind
the post. It sounded as if the
ball had hit the post, but Alex
and I were both sure the ball had crossed the line! We
momentarily looked at each other, thinking to ourselves ‘had that
really happened?!’ On this occasion, player reaction was very
useful, with the defending team walking away with their heads
down and the attacking team busy celebrating. It was clearly a goal,
which Alex (eventually) awarded.
Off the Field:
Of course, there were many off-field highlights during the
tournament, with the motto “work hard, play hard” very much
reflecting our philosophy. Here are my personal top five, off the
field moments:
1) Deck Bar. Getting
to know the other
members of the
Lincolnshire team
in our ‘local’ bar
over a beer in the
evenings was a
genuine delight. Where else would I have squirted beer out
through my nose as Rob executed a perfectly timed joke?
2)
The Hotel. Courtesy of a
free upgrade we ended up in a rather
nice place, which had hosted various
royalty over the years. Choosing
which Stateroom would host our evening debriefs was no
easy task.
3) Final Evening Team Meal.
Our final evening meal together before heading home was
always going to be a cause for celebration, given the way
the week had gone. However, the evening was made even
more special when we received the news that Dave was
going to referee the main final the next morning. We were
all delighted for him, even if it did curtail our plans for the
rest of the evening somewhat!
4) Bakery
Having discovered this
place last year, Rob had
built it up, a lot! There was
no way it could possibly
meet my expectations. And
yet, somehow it did!! As
someone who is partial to a pastry or two, deciding what to
order took me a while. Eventually I chose an Apple Tart and
a Custard slice - both excellent.
5)
The Opening
Ceremony.
The Portuguese are
incredibly helpful and
friendly people.
Organisation, however, is
perhaps not one of their
strong points, something
which became evident during the opening ceremony. It was
a surreal mixture of beatboxing, cheerleaders and giant
letters which (despite the picture) usually spelt anything
but IBER CUP.
The end of a tiring week, some
handled the pace better than
others!!
Summary:
To be given the chance to go to a beautiful place to do
something that I love, with great people, was an unbelievable
experience. I would like to thank the Lincolnshire FA for providing
me with the opportunity. As I reflected on the journey home, I
wondered whether I would get the opportunity to referee abroad
again one day. I certainly hope so. But for now I will settle for
implementing the many lessons learnt in my games during this
coming season, and cherishing the memories of the Iber Cup 2015.
The only man to take a fleece to
Portugal.
Another edition of ‘Robert Atkin’s Life
Lessons’
Michael spent much of his free
time in search of ‘Arty’ photographs. He
took this. Well Done…
David Jones 2015 Iber Cup
Experience.
The year 2015 has certainly been one to remember! Firstly, I
successfully completed my first season as a level 4 referee on the
Northern Counties East League. Secondly, found out the fantastic
news that my wife Amy and I were expecting our first child to be
born at the end of September and finally, I was granted permission
from my school to go to the Iber Cup in Portugal. GET IN!!! After the
disappointment of not being granted leave from work last year this
was now going to be my once in a lifetime experience. Six months
of determination and desire had begun.
Day 1 Monday 30th June
The day began with a 4.30am alarm. Like any good teacher, it
required a look at the to do list on top of the already packed
suitcase. Thankfully, all boxes were ticked and it was time to pack
the car. As the designated driver, first stop was Rob and then the
short trip to collect Tom Bishop. As we took the 1 hour 50 minute
drive to Boston you could feel the excitement from us all. Partly I
presume from the promise of a bacon sandwich on arrival at
Michael’s.
On arrival at Stanstead airport I started to become apprehensive.
Me and Tom Bishop somehow managed to rewrite Ryanair’s
baggage policy and get two cases onto the plane. However, she did
say that only one case can come back! We will discuss the outcome
of this matter later.
After touching down at Lisbon airport, the realisation of being at a
football tournament became apparent. A team was collecting their
baggage whilst chanting to the rooftops. As a football fan this made
me buzz and want to join in, however, as an official I decided to
refrain. My thought process switched to professionalism and began
to visualise the week ahead.
After all our luggage was collected that anticipation of worry that
your kit has vanished was over. It was time to make our way for the
hotel transfer. We could see that there was a gathering of officials
from England and took our place in the line. We were under the
impression of staying in a 4* Hotel but suddenly overheard Michael
saying we have been upgraded. Knowing Rob and his banter I was
unsure of his comment that we were going to a 5* Hotel. This
worry was diminished when we pulled up to the Hotel. The Hotel
was the Hotel Palacio. You just know it’s a very nice establishment
when multinational flags are situated above the entrance and the
warm welcome of the concierge.
After settling into the hotel and getting used to not opening the
doors, we set off to the referees meeting. As we entered the
lecture hall it was filled with officials, 143 in fact. Remembering an
inspirational speech delivered by Howard Webb flooded back to
me. ‘‘Someone in this room could be the next FA Cup Final
referee’’. Being the ultra –competitive individual, my thought
process began to think someone in this room has to referee the top
final on Sunday and I WANT IT!
Day 2 Tuesday 31st June
Today was an early start with two games as an assistant referee. I
am regularly up early so this was good for me. The rigours of
tournament football are tough and I was going to use early games
to my advantage. The earlier finish would give me a longer rest
period, which would assist me as the days went on towards the
business end. Breakfast was UNBELIEVEABLE! After a long hard
decision of the best sauce to accommodate my smoked salmon and
Parma ham I decided to sit down. The hospitality of the Portuguese
people was fantastic and certainly made the trip memorable.
We made the short trip to Jamor via train and I was ready to hit the
ground running. I was pleased to have two games as assistant on
the first day because it allowed me to see how the players were
going to conduct themselves in the tournament. It was great to
work with the other Lincolnshire officials and the teamwork on
display was first class. Tom Bishop had the stand out game at 12.15
between Chivas Guadalajara U16s and Saint Viator Lions U16s. We
were ready for a blood bath being it a contest between Mexico and
USA teams. To our dismay, it was a one sided affair with the
Mexicans running riot with an 11-0 victory. However, Tom’s class
was there for us all to see and the game was in the palms off his
hands. I learnt very quickly that the teams wanted to get the ball
down quickly and play and also if there was a caution to give, ‘JUST
DO IT’.
A solid first day was concluded with the opening ceremony. The
mass crowd and teams entering again made me focused on the job
in hand. We ended the day with a pizza at an Italian restaurant. Not
realising the strength of Heineken, Rob managed to secure third
degree burns to his mouth from a rather hot pizza which was
demolished in a Portuguese record. As tomorrow was another early
start, it was time to head back to base.
Day 3 Wednesday 1st July
Today was my first appointment as referee. The kick off was
10.15am between Chivas Guadalajara U13s of Mexico vs Arsenal
DA U13 of Portugal. To some an U13 appointment would have been
seen as a disappointment but having seen the Chivas U16s size and
standard of play I knew it would be tough. I was working with two
French Assistants and the Fourth Official was from Gibraltar. It was
a test of communication skills as of language barriers but all three
were great.
With the presence of Dave Fuller as assessor and the notion that I
may only get three middles, every game was a Cup Final. The heat
even at an early point of the day was hot but that was no excuse. I
gave absolutely everything for 50 minutes covering every inch of
the pitch. The game went really well with no key match incidents
going against me. Chivas won 2-0 and the standard of play was
phenomenal. Post-match during the debrief I could sense that
Dave was impressed. Having an assessor there never changes how I
approach a game but assessors talk and are influential people. My
target before the game was to get people to know my name and I
was determined to achieve this.
After an afternoon of recovery around the pool we decided to head
out for food. Just around the corner was a little place called Deck
Bar with fantastic views! This was a great place to relax and eat at
a really cheap price. The pepper steak was good and was evenly
matched by the size of the Super Bok beer. It was great to discuss
the week so far in terms of play as a team from Lincolnshire. Both
Michael and Rob were supportive and gave their honest opinions of
the games with a balance of humour and honesty. In terms of
influence, Michael and Rob have played a huge part of my
development over the last 5 years. As a referee, no one excels by
chance. It has to be earned. All the conversations, training events
and support over the years have made me who I am as a referee.
Today made me realise that I am going to give them something
back for all their support. No pain, no gain!
Day 4 Thursday 2nd July
Again, the day began with an early kick off at 9.45 at Jamor. The
fixture was between EF 4 Linhas U14s of Portugal vs Panorama
Soccer U14s of South Africa. As the tournament began to take
shape I could sense the stakes beginning to rise. Both teams
needed a win to finish strong in the group and I was in charge. I
worked with two assistant referees from Finland and both were as
good as I have worked with before. Before meeting Dave Addison
as assessor before the game, my thoughts are focused heavily upon
determination and desire. I have achieved nothing yet.
The game finished 1-1 and frantically bounced from end to end. At
half time with the game evenly poised, this is just what I came to
Portugal for. Physically, the game pushed me to the max but I was
always there when needed. All the hard training sessions and
sacrifices I had made for 6 months were going to make me shine.
Having played an advantage leading to a goal and awarding a last
minute penalty correctly were just some of the positives from the
game. Unfortunately, during one of my lung busting box to box
sprints I managed to do what is best described as a Klinsman slide
across the pitch. Apart from the seconds of embarrassment, to my
dismay the players showed no mercy and the ball was kicked back
up field for another lung busting run. No pain no gain!
After the game Dave asked me to summarise my performance.
Whilst gasping for air I said ‘I gave my all for 50 minutes, this could
be my last middle and I was determined to control the game at all
costs!’ Again fitness, determination and match control were
highlighted as my strengths from observations. After the match I
carried my wounded pride to the Ambulance situated near by to
have my huge cut on the knee fully checked over. Usually, sorting
grazed knees has become my speciality at school. Some quick
medical attention somehow improved my dented pride with a
laugh and a joke with the medic.
Day 5 Friday 3rd July
Today was strange as it was the first day where I had a lay in. I had
two assistant referee appointments at 5.15pm and 8pm. This gave
me no choice but to sample the Portuguese Fry Up which was
certainly less calories than a Macey’s fry up at home. Having eaten
the equivalent of my body weight, I made my way to the pool.
Before we headed out for the night matches, we had the delight of
a Rob Atkin motivational montage. If there was a job description
for motivation then Rob must tick all the boxes. In his usual sense
of humour, he was able to make us die with laughter but also hit
you emotionally. The clip called (Salad Fingers) was one of the
funniest things I have seen. This coined the phrase ‘See these
fingers’ which was used frequently subsequently after. His second
choice an emotional film speech from a football coach at half-time
really did inspire. The key part was about improving your game in
inches. Can you go the extra inches? Again, my mind refers back to
the hours of training and sacrifices that brought me to this
tournament. The whole team were noticeably motivated and I
genuinely believe shaped our games for the last 3 days.
Both the games were important tonight as it would decide the
route the teams would take at the weekend. I left the venue angrily
which somewhat sadden me. A performance from an official on
one of the games disappointed me as he had bags of potential that
could have been displayed. Possibly it was unfair of me to have
these emotions but my determination to be the best took over.
Day 6 Saturday 4th July
Today was the penultimate day of the whole tournament. My
fixture was as referee for the U13 quarter final between Paris Saint
Germain and NFDP Malaysia. How on earth does a teacher from
Scunthorpe get to referee this game? Going into the game I knew I
had a good chance of getting a final. Just don’t mess up! It was very
gracious of the whole team from Lincolnshire to come and support.
This was a clear demonstration of the teamwork we displayed
throughout the whole week. I was only being assessed by a UEFA
representative from Poland. As soon as I hit the turf it was game
on. All the hard work and effort was not going to stop. The game
went well and centered around one key match decision. A
penalty/no penalty call from me after 4 minutes of the first half.
Luckily for me, Alex videoed the whole game which the whole team
and assessor viewed. Apparently, after the 10th review of the clip
they were still undecided. My argument to the decision was that I
was there with a clear unobstructed view. I remember putting a
bursting run in to get to the optimal viewing angle and was 100%
sure with my decision. The game went well and again it was my
final, could be the last game of my tournament.
Watching Alex and Tom Cadman grow at the tournament was really
pleasing to see. Tom Bishop consolidated why he was promoted to
level 3 this season and I’m sure he will go far. Newly promoted Alex
and Tom Cadman to level 4 grew in confidence every single game.
But Saturdays afternoon games for both of these were where they
both reached a different level. Both of these guys are gentle giants
and have a huge future in refereeing. They took on board
everything that Michael and Rob advised and you could see the
motivation to perform. They both arguably had the toughest games
of the tournament and passed with flying colours. This is what the
trip was all about and will represent Lincolnshire FA well on the
Northern Counties this season.
Later that evening was the dreaded wait to see if any of us was
lucky enough to be awarded a final. As the appointments came out,
I had been awarded the Closing U16 Final and awarded the Golden
Whistle as number 1 ranked referee out of 143.
Day 7 Sunday 5th July
I woke up on the last day of the tournament and entered the
bathroom. As I looked in the mirror I just thought to myself I’m the
number 1 ranked referee and I’ve got the top final. Safe to say
many emotions were going through my mind but knew how much
that meant to family, friends and colleagues. To win an accolade of
this nature is hard because how do you rank someone as the best?
You can’t be the best at everything! A level 4 referee from
Lincolnshire with the major final. I believe that If you want
something you have to go and get it! Regardless if I was the best
referee or not is a matter of opinion but I know for sure that I gave
my all in every game. I was delighted that I had been selected for
the final and want to say a huge thank you to Michael, Rob, Tom
Bishop, Tom Cadman and Alex for all their support. Every member
of the team contributed throughout the week and I don’t believe I
would have achieved this without them. I truly believe that this
tournament is a must for developing referees and Alex and Tom
confirm that.
The morning breakfast was dually met with Rob’s humour of ‘Are
you sure you want to sit with us’ which typically broke out into
laughter from us all.
The game, between Chivas Guadalajara from Mexico and Norway's
Bodo Glimt, was played in front of a large crowd in the stadium of
CD Estori Praia who play in the Portuguese Primeira Liga. Leading
the teams out onto the field of play to the Champions League music
was a once in a lifetime experience! I just wish that the whole
team could have joined me on the fixture and completed the final
with me. That even goes for Michael and Rob as goal line officals as
we could have borrowed the Finish official’s flags. My team
consisted of officials from Italy, Hungary and Holland and together
we worked seamlessly to control the match. The atmosphere at the
stadium was terrific and the standard of football certainly did not
disappoint. Chivas won the game 2-0 but the final was always close
enough, flowing from end to end. As I blew the final whistle, the
realisation of my achievement began to sink in. It was an honour to
represent Lincolnshire FA, England and the Northern Counties East
Football League at an international tournament and the memories
will stay with me for a lifetime.
What happens next? Who knows? Where I go in terms of refereeing
can be influenced by many factors but rest assured I will keep
working hard to become the best that I can be. A special thank you
must go to Lincolnshire FA for allowing us all to participate at the
tournament and making my dream come true.
What have we learnt?
Every referee came home raring to go for the new season and the
preparation before games; teamwork and strong body language to
communicate were key factors they will use in the future to
develop.
We learnt that supporting our colleagues through the good and bad
decisions made us all stronger and determined to be the best.
Whatever your age or level of ability we are all learners!
Summary
Michael Brader – Lincolnshire FA Referee Development Officer
Following the success of the Lincolnshire FA Referees at the 2014
Iber Cup it was an easy decision to return with another group of 4
Referees for the 2015 tournament in Estoril. Empowered by the
knowledge from our initial foray it was with extra confidence that
we arrived in Portugal on the 29th June.
To be met at the Airport with the news that Lincolnshire, North
Riding and Manchester FA’s had been moved from our original
Hotel due to overbooking was initially a concern but when we
found we were going to have to cope with the 5* Palacio as a
replacement the trip immediately took a huge upturn!
How do you measure success?
The easy answer would be having the 1st and 6th ranked Referees in
the tournament from over 140 taking part.
The more compelling answer for me is that all four of our Referees
returned as improved Match Officials. Our two Junior Referees –
Alex and Tom- learnt so much from the advice given them from
Senior Assessors from both England and abroad and visibly grew in
stature as the week progressed. The play- off games they Refereed
on the Saturday gave them challenges that may have been beyond
them at the start of the week but their ability to learn and adapt
meant they blossomed under the pressure. As they embark on their
first season at Level 4 I am sure they will be prepared for battle! I
could not be prouder of the way Alex and Tom Cadman soaked up
the experience.
Tom Bishop and Dave Jones had just completed their first season at
Level 4 and I expected them to perform well. They both surpassed
those expectations and some! Their positions in the merit list tell
the story. Dave took the accolades with the Gold Whistle award
and the last game of the tournament that every Referee there was
hoping to have, but Tom was also superb. Both displayed the
intelligence to operate under pressure but it was their
determination and desire that really set them apart.
In two games that Dave Refereed the Assessor exclaimed “Wow” as
he went on his latest lung busting sprint. No pain no gain!
I would like to express my thanks to Rob Atkin for his tremendous
support on the trip. We take for granted the time that volunteers
from all over the County devote to improving our Referees. Rob
was the natural choice to accompany the group as Coach as he
already operates in that role to three of the Referees selected. His
enthusiasm is boundless and was crucial in the bonding of our
group. The progress of these Referees over the past season is
largely due to his efforts and I know how much it means to him.
The Tournament was a most valuable experience for these four
Referees and I am sure they will always remember their week in
Portugal wherever their Referee career takes them in the future.
They represented Lincolnshire FA with distinction both on and off
the pitch and made many friends along the way.
I would like to thank Daniele Curcio the Referee Director for the
invitation to the tournament and the help and support of so many
of the organising team - in particular Dave Addison, George Cain
and the inimitable Gordon Johnson.
I would also like to recognise the strength of the Referee Family
with so many new friends made and memories to carry forward.
Finally my genuine thanks to the Directors and Council of
Lincolnshire FA for affording us the opportunity and their continued
support of Referees in Lincolnshire.