Information

Match Assessors

A WEEK IN THE LIFE OF AN ASSESSOR

The Assessors Week

The assessor waits with baited breath around 11am on Monday hoping an email will arrive with a game listed for the forthcoming weekend and, if appointed to a game in the Premier League, Football League or Football Conference, he will immediately acknowledge acceptance to the relevant body. Professionalism from the moment the appointment is received just as it was when we were more ‘active’.

Next, await an email from the Home Club confirming kick off time and maybe a message to advise on car park arrangements etc and, of course, respond as a matter of courtesy and professionalism.

Come Friday (assuming the game is on Saturday), a call to the referee to establish pre-match contact arrangements and for an informal discussion about the game. Time now to make sure our ‘kit’ is correctly packed, this being ‘Laws of Association Football’, PGMOL directory, notebook, pencils and any tickets received in advance from the home club and, to prove we are not all old and out of touch with the modern image, our satnav! Check weather forecasts and road traffic information for Saturday and think through sensible departure time, allowing for possible delays.

Match day arrives and the buzz is there just as it was when active. Have a big breakfast, (a great excuse for a full English) unlike when active, in case there is limited hospitality on arrival at the home club as an assessor cannot work on an empty stomach. Having arrived, report to the home club office and meet the club referee liaison officer and ensure we act with total professionalism when mingling with directors, club officials, sponsors etc and then have a quick look at the seat we have been allocated to assess how clearly we can see the four officials.

Next, link up with the match officials at the agreed time. Check necessary information, usually safety details, and the game plan agreed between the referee’s team and depart before becoming an embarrassment or hindrance to the pre-match preparation of the third team. Having agreed a post-match de-brief time with the referee, time for a final cup of tea before taking up our seat at least ten minutes before kick-off. The hard bit now begins. We have to watch all four officials in action and never lose our focus on the task in hand as we have to monitor everything that happens in the game but not be trapped into watching the actual game. Note taking is essential and a shorthand used that is personal to each assessor and it is amazing how well an assessor can watch the officials and write notes simultaneously as there is no availability of video footage during the match. Half-time affords a chance for another cuppa and maybe a biscuit and, more importantly, a chance to reflect on the first-half performances of the officials.

The second-half is more of the same before retiring to the lounge to collate one’s thoughts in ten minutes or so ready to de-brief the team. Quite a challenge but having dealt with this challenge for several seasons, it becomes easier and, to aid the process, a list of one-word bullet points is the usual manner of listing the points to be raised in readiness for the ensuing discussion which is the essence of a helpful debrief led by the assessor but with participation from all members of the team. Key incidents have to be honestly and openly discussed and arrangements made to collect a video or DVD in order to check the accuracy of a match official’s action before completing the written report.

Having wished everyone a safe journey, the assessor then travels home and reflects on the performances before completing the standard forms of PGMOL which is usually on Sunday morning and then email them to each of the officials as well as to their coaches and the appropriate Leagues or Competitions. It is a fundamental requirement that there will be no surprises in the written report as everything that is written should have been discussed in the de-brief at the ground immediately after the game although any feedback on key incidents is usually given to an official a soon as the DVD or video has been checked. The content of the written feedback tends focus on these important areas: