New Referee (info please)

[Ed Hickland]

Originally posted by otis3zeb
Hello all,
I have been reading alot on this site and it seems helpful, I was recently an Umpire for the last 5 years, and have seen alot of help and advise for our fellow umps to-be. Which is great, I have passed it all on to my Ump. Thanks. Now for a little help for me, Any advise, of some common mistakes a first year Ref. would make, and some proper mechanics, besides the more common ones. Any thing would help!! I have been assigned a couple of big games, I really didn't think that I would get. Any advise would be app.


[Edited by otis3zeb on Aug 17th, 2002 at 06:50 PM]

Common mistakes:

- Preliminary signals - they really do look at them

- Taking leadership and control - you are the person they look to for leadership, that is, your crew, the players and the coaches. If anything goes wrong it is under your watch. Organize a thorough pregame. Let the crew know your are in charge and what you expect. Does not mean you dictate but exercise discretion.

- Working with game management - make sure you have all the information about halftime and pregame activities. My first game the home team wanted a 25 minute halftime. I told them sure, as long as you do it in 20.

- Being too close to the play - referee starts out at about 11 or 12 yards in back of the LOS and stays back to get a full view of the play.