REFEREE’S CORNER

By the man in the middle.

 

Hi football fans this is the first edition of a new weekly column commenting on refereeing and the laws of the game. Its only six weeks to go before the finals start, exciting times ahead for all football fans across the Shoalhaven district. Over the last two years there has been a decrease in the number senior referee’s available to referee football games throughout the week and over the weekend. This is due to a number of reasons which we will not elaborate on within this week’s article.  If you think you have what it takes to stand out in the middle and make those hard decisions within a split second please contact the Shoalhaven District Football Referee’s Association or ask one of the friendly ref’s at one of your local games for more information, we would love to have you on board.

 

Due to the lack of qualified referee’s within the district there has been some instances when there has not been three qualified officials appointed to each game on the weekends.  We ask that all Clubs help out where possible and appoint someone that is competent and willing and help out with the assistant duties on the side line.

 

Some points to remember for game day:

 

1. 1.               Team sheets need to be completed before the start of play.
2. 2.               Club officials need to be down on the team sheet and vests worn, and be clearly visible throughout the game.
3. 3.               Coach, Manager, and substitutes all need to be inside the technical area at the half way line. 
4. 4.               The player on the pitch must leave the field of play before the substitute can enter the field of play.
5. 5.               All teams must be ready to play at there allocated time frames, there has been too many instances where some teams are running ten minutes late. This has in some cases follow on effects to all the other games played on the same ground that day.

 

It’s great to see that Football is alive and well within our district, I certainly look forward to game day.  I love the banter, passion, and skill that I see every week from players and spectators alike. That’s what makes me come back over and over.

 

Next week, myths and truths about the laws of the game.

 

Remember, play fair and respect others.

 

The man in the middle.