A Day In the Life

A WEEK IN THE LIFE OF AN ASSISTANT REFEREE

Find out what happens during an average seven days

The week starts off in a familiar fashion of waiting for the appointments email to come out on Monday afternoon; this is a vital piece of information for me as I can then start to plan my life for the next week.

Assuming I have a Saturday match, I will look to put in at least two quality training sessions, one will be based around high intensity work earlier in the week and the other will be a speed session probably on the Thursday. I may also do a weights and strength-based session which helps with injury prevention.  Fitting these sessions in is very much a balancing act between working all week yet still finding the time to put in the necessary training to serve on the Premier League, fortunately I am able to squeeze most of my sessions in during my lunch breaks at a local gym, otherwise it would involve sessions in the evening and that would mean more time away from my family.

I am fortunate living in the Midlands that I only need an overnight stay for probably 50% of my matches.  So on a Friday after a days work I will come home, eat with my family and complete my packing before heading off for my hotel aiming to arrive by 10pm.  We are fortunate that when we accept our appointment if we need an overnight stay we just let Kelly at the Premier League know and all the details and bookings are made for us.

On the day of the match I will usually meet up with any other colleagues who have stayed overnight and have breakfast around 9am, everyone has their own preferences on matchday but I always take care to ensure I have taken on board the right food over the previous 24 hours to provide the energy for the match ahead.  During a game I will burn anything up to 2,000 calories according to my heart rate monitor so this shows you need to have stocked up enough fuel to ensure you can perform during the whole match.    

After breakfast we head back to our rooms and make final preparations for meeting up with the whole team at 11am.  A room is booked at the hotel so we all get together to start focusing on the match, the referee may at this stage talk through his expectations for the day and match, and we all input our thoughts.  As we often work in teams now, I have found an increasing understanding between the team and a real feel of a team unit has increased.

The referee agrees the departure time with our driver, taking into account any local conditions and when he wants to arrive at the ground.  Usually this will be somewhere around 12.30 to 1pm, and we are taken in a People Carrier with blacked out windows to ensure our safe arrival.  

Once at the ground we would usually unpack our kit and prepare the communication system and take this out onto the pitch for a test and also inspect the state of the pitch, I will also check my touchline to ensure everything is in order and to decide what type of footwear to use.  A cursory check is usually made on team colours to avoid any clashes later in the afternoon; this also allows us to choose our colours.  After this we usually go to a room that is set aside for us and any guests we may have coming, so we also sort out any tickets that they require.  We will also meet the Match Assessor and Premier League delegate here and pass the time away with discussions on recent matches and experiences.

Around 1.30pm we head back to our dressing room for the Safety briefing from the Chief Steward and Police, this informs us of any known issues and also confirms what arrangements are in place in case of emergency or incident.

At 2pm the team sheets are brought in by a Club representative, and the referee will check these over and give any information relevant to the match.  Now it really is final preparations for us changing into kit, loosening up and getting ready to head out for our warm-up at 2.30pm.  The warm-ups follow a consistent approach but each referee does flex them to suit their needs, so we go along with whatever they do.  Most do incorporate several spells for us to do our individual stretches and a final check of our touchlines.

Now we are in the final straight from 2.45 to 2.53pm when we ring the bell, in this last period I will get my match shirt on, check my FIFA badge is in place and put my notebook, pencils, coin and whistle in my pockets. The bell rings and the Assistants will go to each dressing room to encourage the teams to come out on time and also perform the studs and jewellery checks before we join the referee at the head of the tunnel.  Once we get the nod from television we lead the teams out onto the pitch and line-up for the official handshake, after this I will make a quick check of my net before joining the referee and captains for photos and toss-up.  Then a final handshake with our team before heading back to my touchline for the game and performing a final buzzer and comms system check before the game kicks-off.  

At half-time we will all give comments on how the game is going, any issues that need discussing and things to look out for during the second half.  I make sure I get plenty of fluids onboard and it is usually a quick turn around before we head out again.  Before the kick-off I will inspect my net again and we go through our checks before the referee gets the game going.

After the match we get back in our room and hopefully congratulate each other on another good job done, the 4th Official will normally complete the paperwork with the referee and we will get showered and dressed in preparation for the de-brief with the Assessor and Delegate.  These involve discussing any major decisions and feedback is given on how we have handled these, but often a review of the video will be required by them to confirm their views.

Then finally we can leave the ground and load everything back into the car before being driven back to the hotel.  The team will say its goodbyes for another week before I head back home on the motorway.  Depending on whereabouts I am in the country I would usually arrive home anywhere between 8pm to 10.30pm, just in time to catch Match of the Day, hoping that I will not feature in any adverse decisions!

Then Sunday is a rest day, getting to see the family for a day and maybe watching some of the late live football before the whole process starts again on the Monday.

I also have numerous International appointments to fulfil during the season for FIFA and UEFA, which can mean spending up to fifty days out of the country each season.  Depending on the match, I may not know which three days of the week I will be away from home and work until about one week before the match, so this puts me under more pressure to juggle the demands of my daytime occupation, football and family, but it is something that we do because we love the job we do.  Once I have flight details I can start planning my schedule and training, I usually fly out of Heathrow and depending on the flight time I can be waking up any time from 4am to drive to the airport, meet colleagues and catch the flight.  

These trips are great opportunities to travel to many countries you would not normally visit and experience different customs; generally we are treated fantastically by our hosts and made to feel really welcome.  However, they are very tiring with early starts, later kick-offs and many hours travelling so it is always nice to return home to the family again, but knowing a return to my job the next day can be hard with work to catch up on, as well as preparing again for my game that weekend and possibly another overnight stay!

The role of an Assistant Referee is often seen by many in the game as a lesser role, but the commitment, sacrifices and dedication that I, and my colleagues, make for football are every bit as professional as all the other participants in each match.     

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