Honesty and Accountability

Once you have the ability to see yourself work, you need to know and accept that you are going to see mistakes.  Some will be yours and others will be from your crew(s).  Everyone makes them.  However, some certainly do make fewer than others and I firmly believe that these higher level officials are usually the better students of the game relative to their peers.  But this only works if they are honest with themselves and put their hand up to acknowledge mistakes when they happen.  Errors are opportunities to learn and improve.  How you react to feedback and criticism, sometimes even when it’s harshest from yourself, is going to dictate what your path forward looks like.  What can this look like?  Make sharing your clips with whomever is in your small inner referee circle, a common practice.  There is room for footage that isn’t of you as well but always remember not to demean others and rather learn whatever you can in hopes that it will make your next games better.  And in terms of this “clip group” you want to have and be a part of, you want an honest and healthy dialogue, but not too big; too many voices can be difficult.  These friends need to be willing to support you not just when it might be praise you earned for something done well, but more importantly, being able to appropriately convey their honest opinion they think think one of your decisions may not be the best or preferred outcome.  Now what about more formal formats?  The bi weekly zoom sessions that many conferences and coordinators of officials are doing both during and in preparation for each season is now the norm.  My encouragement regarding this larger group sessions is be open to the feedback.  More specifically, if and when you find yourself out on an island with your viewpoint, whether you have been called on to participate on that play, or you are simply listening to the commentary on that particular clip… recognize that the rest of group and its leadership and the direction they are going, is something you need to reflect on and try to figure out how you can start heading down that path as well.  Same goes for your personal group; this isn’t the time to be a defense attorney; we learn most from our mistakes and not usually as much from our good decisions.  And don’t mishear me, our game is gray, and we won’t all see the game through the same lens, but it is important that we are striving for consistency and trying to ever so slightly narrow the lanes in which we operate over time.  Sometimes it can be okay to agree to disagree but take note of clues / cues from presenters and the more senior officials who are typically speaking, on when plays truly have mixed considerations and flexibility vs. when they don’t.  And if you aren’t a part of these various webinars or a regular group that is communicating, the NCAA is putting out more content than ever before on RefQuest.  While historically even, the collegiate game and it’s messaging has been very siloed from other groups like IFAB, US Soccer, and PRO, the differences between all these acronyms in terms of rules, approach, philosophy, etc. has never been fewer than today.  This means that for topics like handling, offside, penalty kicks, challenges, and more, the alignment now is so congruent that if you see presentations put out from these other major and recognizable resources, you can take nearly all of it into your collegiate matches and find success.  Finally, ask questions!  Be a sponge!  Still be mindful of whether a question should be asked publicly for the good of the/a group or if it would be better to seek answers and clarification offline or after the session is over, one on one.  Knowing the difference here is important. 

It’s not just about accuracy

Everyone knows the feeling, especially before the days of VR, of having a close play in a game, one team likely not thrilled with the result, and wasting no time getting into the locker room to see the video of what happened, maybe even at halftime.  Certainly, accuracy is important and when we do get a quality video to be able to evaluate right and wrong, preferred outcome, or something that can be supported… great… but there is so much more you and others in your group(s) can and should be looking at! 

• What happened prior the decision?  What happened during?  After?  Mindset / thought process throughout? 

• Ball watching or scanning?  Did you read / anticipate a next phase of play, a trend, a match up, or a tactic? 

• How was your proximity?  Did you have a good angle?  Which was more important? 

• How was your body language?  How are the players reacting?  Giving you clues?  Mass Confrontation? 

• Did you show anticipate?  Did you show urgency?  Were you proactive?  Did you prevent things? 

• Dissent?  How did you handle it?  Did you add fuel or deescalate?  Image?  Mannerisms?  Personality? 

• Did you overreact?  Under react?  Composure?  Did it work?  Problem solved?  Hands tied or options? 

• How was your teamwork?  Could there have been more?  Was it too much?  Specific or too general? 

• How long was the stoppage?  Could the game have been restarted faster?  How? 

• What was said over the radios?  Who Led / Initiated?  Right or wrong?  Good / Bad?  Need More / Less? 

• Was a video review warranted?  Had you gone to VR, what would you have done different? 

• You were correct to go to VR but what could have been better or different? 

• Mixed Considerations?  Is your decision just supportable or is it the preferred decision / expected outcome? 

• Temperature of the game?  What is the broader context?  Spirt and feel vs. Black / White? 

• Were you consistent in your approach from this play to other similar plays in the game? 

• Were you line with proper rules, interpretations, guidance, points of emphasis, etc.? 

• What looks the same on the video vs. what you saw live?  Did you look at the right things? 

• More importantly what looks different on video vs. live?  Important Comparison! 

  • AR’s – This is so crucial for your tracking of tight offside decisions! 

• If you could go back and any of this / these over again… what would that be?  And why? 

While this list is detailed, its likely not everything.  The point is refereeing is not easy and there is so much more to our job than just right or wrong.  How we execute decisions is massively important!  Yes, getting big calls right is likely a larger percentage of our work, but separating those that are good from those that are great, is based on who has a great grasp of both the science and art of officiating.  In conclusion, I would be remiss if I didn’t close with how incredibly important and significant it will be for you to make incremental and measures adjustments / improvements quickly.  This is how assignors and referee leaders can see that you are coachable, from game to game, week to week, and season to season.  Showing continued improvement is going to build the confidence / trust in you, your brand, and get you to your next level!