Game management for referees is so important. It’s very important to remain confident and that you’re not going to hide when players react negatively to your whistling. That’s one of the key learnings I’ve taken with me from the keynote Howard Webb gave during the Ontario Soccer Summit. Howard Webb stresses that you need to raise your profile as a referee these days. “To gain control of the game. You have to step up when you have to be seen and heard when the game needs you to be seen and heard.” Adapting is part of game management for referees “Not everyone can do that”, says Webb. And it’s not…

Self-awareness for referees: it’s something you need to work on from the start of your refereeing career. We sometimes underestimate the importance of  it or we think it’s something you get when you’re a top level referee. No it is not! Recently I read an interview with Arjen Robben in newspaper De Volkskrant. He talks about talents in football, but what he says applies also to referees. He says talents need to work on their self-awareness and self-criticism. “Invest in yourself. Football can bring you so many good things, but don’t be satisfied too soon. I always wanted to prove myself. Always.” With this blog I want to start the…

Referee positioning at counter-attacks, that’s difficult as you have to change a pace fast and your response needs to be quickly. Leicester City has shown some great counter-attacks before. They get the ball and pass forward fast and their strikers are very effective. Are you able as referee to anticipate to that? Check out these lessons below. The screenshots of the Leicester counter-attack are still there and give you a great impression. To have an idea of how fast a counter-attack can go, I’ve found another example, from Belgium – Japan, to give you an impression. Please take a good look at the referees. How do they react to the…

“You won’t make it on the pitch with only the knowledge of the Laws of the Game”, says Willem Schuitemaker at a workshop I visited in Leiden this year. “You need passion, talent and motivation. That combination will bring you to your personal best and passion is the most important here.” Schuitemaker has been invited in Leiden for a workshop about “soft skills” to educate the referees. He was active in professional football as an assistant referee from January 2010 until the 2012/2013 season. Now he’s giving workshops for his REFEREE Factory at referee organisations, sports clubs and companies. You can read the article in Dutch in De Scheidsrechter. The passion…

Check the image aboven on this blog post. Would you flag for offside? There’s been a lot of offside discussions recently. Is a player making attempt to play the ball? Is it a deliberate play or a save? Offside is the main task of the assistant referee, but it’s also quite difficult. Not just the rare situations, but also situations where both defenders and attackers are moving. Want to practise yourself? Here are offside exercises for assistant referees. Get pencil and paper ready and write down numbers 1 to 25. The video below will show you 25 clips in quick succession and you have to decide wether the player is…

The new season has started. Have you ever thought about how you want to grow as referee? It’s good to have a mentor who helps you. Actually you need more than one. Read more about the 4 types of mentors you need as referee. Kim Kaupe brought me on Inc.com on the idea for writing this post. She focussed on mentors young entrepreneurs need. I’ve used her 4 types and projected them on the career of a referee. Because yes, you really need people that help you when you’re stuck in your refereeing career. Some can give tips on refereeing, others can help you with personal struggles. Check out the…