Uefa launches a Refereeing Assistance Programme twice a year. It contains clips of recent match situations. You can install this on your pc or mac and train your refereeing knowledge. In case you missed it, it’s quite interesting material to develop yourself.

Refereeing Assistance Programme 2018:2

Thanks to my readers I got the 2018:2 Refereeing Assistance Programme 2018:2

• UEFA RAP 2018:2 for PC
• UEFA RAP 2018-2 for MAC

Refereeing Assistance Programme 2018:1

Thanks to readers of my blog I can present you Refereeing Assistance Programme 2018-1. Please be aware the files are huge (10GB), so download via wifi.

• PC version
• MAC version
• MAC Sierra

Some experience problems with installing MAC versions. This document might help you.

Refereeing Assistance Programme 2017-2

Thanks to readers of my blog I can present you Refereeing Assistance Programme 2017-2.

New situations from the last six months. Quite interesting for us all. Download the files and practice at home.

• Download the edition for PC
• Download the editon for MAC

Some experience problems with installing MAC versions. This document might help you.

RAP Women’s Euro 2017

A great download with match situations from the Women’s Euro in 2017.

• Download Women’s Euro version for PC
• Download Women’s Euro version for MAC

Referee Assistance Programme 2017-1

I am trying to get the 2017-2 version for you, but can already share the first edition of 2017 with you. In a few days I hopefully also have the Women’s Euro version.

Download Refereeing Assistance Programme 2017-1.

(below you’ll also find older versions)

Refereeing Programme Euro 2016 in France

Download the Refereeing Assistance Programme files

Please note the files are links to WeTransfer files. Because the size is about 5 GB, make sure you have your wifi on. I personally have not tested the MAC-link, because I have a PC.

RAP Euro 2016 for PC

RAP 2016 (edition 2)

Download for PC
Download for MAC

I got these links via Arbiter Café on Twitter. Much appreciated!

How the RAP works

You can watch video’s in different categories, but will not see the correct call immediately. Make sure you think for yourself what decision you will make. Then you can click at the right bottom text, which gives you an explanation.

Good luck and enjoy!

Week 16 Laws of the Game Quiz 2018-2019. What happens when a ball becomes defective at a penalty kick? And what if a player hits a 4t official in the face when doing a substitution? Good luck with the test.

And a quick note: one of last week’s questions is also on YouTube now. You’ll find more video’s there in the future, so make sure to subscribe.

Different types of referee training will make you fit enough to referee. But what are the differences and how do they help you? In this blog post I’ll share 4 types of referee training sessions and the effect they will have.

Football is a sport where interval training seems the most logical way to train. The tempo of the game changes a lot, because the ball goes out or players run faster during an attack. But that doesn’t mean you should do only endurance training seassions. There is more and all are functional for you as referee.

The 4 types, from low to high-intensity, are:

• Extensive endurance training
• Intensive endurance training
• Extensive interval training
• Intensive interval training

Extensive endurance training

If you follow an extensive endurance training you train at low intensity, but usually for a longer time. Because of the duration of the training you’ll get fatigued.

I shared an example of this type of training in the pre-season fitness tips for referees.

KNVB’s refere fitness trainer says: “The effect is improvement of your basic endurance and fat burning. Your feeling during the exercises: easy breating, low intensity for muscles and low levels of sweat loss.

Intensive endurance training

The intensive endurance training is a bit quicker than the extensive endurance traning, but still no sprinting. The duration of exercises are a bit shorter and the tempo a little higher. But the idea is that you don’t have big speed differences in the exercises. So you’ll remain at a continious tempo.

KNVB’s refere fitness trainer says: “The effect is that you improve your endurance. And your feeling during the exercises: low intensity for muscles, easy breathing and average sweat loss.

Extensive interval training

Now we’re getting faster. The extensive interval training will have more sprints. If you use a heart rate monitor you’ll notices it goes up a little and the distance you’ll run are shorter.

KNVB’s refere fitness trainer says: “the effect is increased maximum performance level. And you’ll notice sore legs and heavy breathing.”

Intensive interval training

The intensive interval training is even faster than the previous type on the list. The distance is not always shorter, but speed and  heart rate is higher again. The breaks between the runs in a series are usually a bit longer.

KNVB’s refere fitness trainer says: “the effect is development of the maximum performance and speed. You’ll notice it’s very exhaustive for both breathing and muscles.”

Examples will follow during the upcoming weeks

Because the interval training sessions are at higher pace, it’s important to not repeat them too quick. KNVB’s advice is to take a recovery time of 24 hours for endurance training sessions and 72 hours for interval training sessions. But you should always listen to your own body and your own physical ability.

During the upcoming weeks you’ll get some examples of the diffeent types of referee training exercises.

It’s a time for Week 15 Laws of the Game Quiz 2018-2019. Some interesting questions again for you all.

If you want to win the goodies by Refsworld UK, then make sure to enter the same user name as in the first quiz of January. Good luck with the quiz.

It’s time for Week 14 Laws of the Game Quiz 2018-2019. The first quiz of the New Year.

Every month I give a price to the winner of the month, sponsored by Refsworld UK. In November Henrik from Denmark won and he just send me a picture. Will you win in January? Make sure you’ll answer the questions very well in January. Good luck with the quiz!

The Quiz

The Laws of the Game Quiz contains some questions from the 2018 referee quiz. Do you know the answers?

Visiting the Southend Referees Society was one of the best refereeing experience in 2018. It was great to meet their chairman Jamie Pope and I hope he’ll get his RA to the next level in 2019 with more and more guests showing up at the events.

And it all started with a direct message on Twitter. “Would you consider visiting us to do a presentation?” It’s a message I receive right after the 2017-2018 season. A day on which Germany got beaten by the South Korean team and I’m relaxing in a bar in Scotland during my holidays. How serious would that be? A question that goes through my mind.

When back home in The Netherlands I reply to this message, because it seems nice. Then I realise how enthusiastic Jamie Pope, the Southend Referees Society chairman, is. He follows my blog and knows I recently graduated as referee instructor. He’s a young man in his thirties who wants to stand out and make something from his RA. A young chairman, a job usually fulfilled by older (former) refs.  

Pope recognizes the problem we also face in The Netherlands. Members don’t attend referee meetings, because they think it’s not interesting. In a year he doubles the attendees of the meetings and he wants to grow. That’s why he invites guest speakers like me or Lukas, the Referee Development Officer from the Essex FA. “People want to hear something new and different”, he says.

Trip to Southend Referees Society

And that’s why I go to the train station on that early morning in October. On the way to Southend with mrs. DutchReferee – we booked two extra nights ourself in London. I really look forward to this, but their seems to be a little problem. Fog. The skies clear up and we leave Amsterdam. We try to land twice, but it’s too cloudy. With a stop in Birmingham and a four hour delay we arrive in Southend, which is still on time for the meeting.

I really like the enthusiasm of the English refs. They are very interested in the differences between refereeing in England and The Netherlands. They think their fee is low … until they hear what Dutch referees earn. Another big difference is that local RA’s flourish by meetings like this, but they don’t offer the opportunity for fitness training. In The Netherlands refs can train at our RA (called COVS) once or twice per week.

Because weekly training sessions won’t bring in new visitors, Pope goes online. Social media are important for him to attract new people. It works as more people see what their RA is doing and people get interested.

Work together with the county FA

The network with the county FA is also important, like visits from the Essex FA to their meetings. The Len Forge Center, where they have their meetings, is also available for LOTG tests refs have to do for their courses. Pope sees opportunities for the Southend Referees Society. And I really hope that it will grow a lot in 2019.

Selfie with EPL referee Paul Tierney

My weekend trip in London finishes with Fulham vs Arsenal at Craven Cottage. Of course I’ll take a selfie with referee Paul Tierney when he’s doing his warming-up with ihs team. when I’m back in Holland there’s a new message from Southend in my Twitter inbox. One of the attendees replies. He is very happy that he joined the session and has now set goals for himself. I’m pleased I’ve helped and inspired someone already by talking there.

In the meantime I’ll keep checking my Twitter inbox for news. For me this trip was a great way to inspire other referees and who knows if there will be another request from an English RA in my inbox.

Plans for 2019

I’ll keep an eye out. And of course I’ll be there in 2019 as well with lots of stories on my referee website. You’ll see more video’s on YouTube.com/DutchReferee, I’ll try to share more fitness tips, starting with the advice for your winter break. And of course you can share your ideas as well, just let me know via the form below.

Winter break fitness tips for referees. Who thinks about doing sports with Christmas and New Years Eve. But don’t forget to think about your fitness in this period.

Hilco de Boer, the fitness coach of Dutch pro referees, shares his advice with you in the KNVB newsletter. One of them is don’t do specific training sessions, because you need to rest. That’s why I go to the beach for a light walk.

Take a rest based on lenght of your break

“If your winter break lasts for four weeks, my advice is to take two weeks of rest”, he writes. “But if you stop for five to six weeks, makes sure to take a rest for two to three weeks.”

Also rest mentally

It’s not just a physical break for referees, that period between Christmas and New Year and for some even January. But it is also a mental break. Calm down, do less. You don’t have to live from one game to the next for a few weeks. Plus without games you don’t have concentration referees normally need.

Want to work on mental toughness after the break? Check out these 3 characteristics for mental toughness.

No specific training

But can’t you do anything active? You can can still be active, but make sure it’s a “light” sports activity. Don’t do a specific training, because your muscles need to recover from four full months of refereeing.

And in case you had some (light) physical issues: “take a complete rest for a few weeks”.

Build up intensity gradually

And don’t go crazy after the break. Your body is in a relaxing modus and needs to start working again. “After the rest period it is important to pick up your training sessions again. You need to be well-prepared for the second half of the season”, De Boer says. “It’s very important that your build up the intensity gradually.” Check out the fitness exercises to build up intensity.

Your winter break fitness tips for referees?

Have any suggestions yourself for winter break fitness tips for referees? Write them down below.

PS: and if you want gradually come back, these fitness exercises work for you

Dedication from referees during the fitness test at the UEFA Women’s EURO Referee Course. Zeist, Holland. (Source of editorial photo: UEFA)