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In every situation, which you face in your life there, will be some things that are outside of your control. One characteristic of many people, who have achieved a high level of personal success, is their ability to sort out those things that they can control, and to work at these, rather than concerning themselves with the things that are out of their control. "Ain't no use worryin' bout things beyond your control, cause if they're beyond your control, ain't no use worryin'........." "Ain't no use worryin' bout things within your control, cause if you got them under control, ain't no use worryin'........." Ed Moses (U.S.A. - Athlete). This may seem a very simplistic principle but it is fundamental to all aspects of good refereeing. A PROFESSIONAL APPROACH ENTAILS THE IDENTIFICATION AND CONTROL OF AS MANY OF THE CONTROLLABLE VARIABLES IN YOUR PREPARATION AND PERFORMANCES AS POSSIBLE. Each referee’s aim should be to try to cover every 'angle' in terms of their preparation, and that each 'angle' should be covered to the best of their ability. In other words, they should score ten out of ten on all of the controllable factors that they identify, and not worry about those factors that they cannot control, because these uncontrollable factors will tend to induce anxiety which may be detrimental to their performance. Hence our definition of a Professional Attitude in Football Refereeing is ‘CONTROL THE CONTROLLABLE’ and our aim or long term goal is complete and comprehensive preparation (or as complete and comprehensive as you desire, and your life-style will allow). Activity 1: Compile a list of those aspects that you feel you ‘can and should’ control in Football Refereeing. Remember that the list should take account of your work/school commitments, as well as time and facilities available to you. The list should be individually tailored to your needs. (20mins). The exercise ends when you cannot think of any further aspects for inclusion on the list. Remember there are no right or wrong answers, it is all about what you feel is important. I have included below for your information and as a guide, the kind of controllable factors that you might wish to consider You can control... Communication Team Work (with your assistant referees) Proximity to Play Punctuality Emotions Temperament Attitude towards Assessors Laws of the Game Diet Hydration Dedication Fitness Reading the Game / Anticipation Positive Attitude Flexibility (stretching) Commitment Concentration Routines Mental Toughness Workrate Enjoyment Rehabilitation PERFORMANCE You should record all those factors that you feel are controllable and relevant to you. N.B. This is not the 'definitive' list- it will be different from referee to referee and even with each referee, it will change over time. Activity 2: Compile a list of those aspects that you feel are not controllable in Football Refereeing. (10mins) – Again I have included examples of the kind of thing that you may wish included on your list. You cannot control... Crowd Injuries/Illness Luck Referee Assessors Other people's opinions/expectations Weather Venue/Facilities Match Delegates Other Referees You should record all those factors that you feel are uncontrollable and be aware of what you should not be worried about. REMEMBER- UNCONTROLLABLE FACTORS ARE USUALLY THE SAME FOR EVERYBODY, SO THERE IS NOTHING TO BE GAINED BY WORRYING ABOUT THEM. For me the most important factors to have in the correct list are Performance and Referee Assessors. I think you can control your Performance but you cannot control Assessment. I think if you prepare consistently and correctly (by scoring ten out of ten on those factors in our controllable list), you are much more likely to perform to your potential and for me that is all a referee should ever desire. However, because of things like ‘how the assessor feels on the day or perhaps just because of bad luck' I don't feel even the best referee can control the outcome of the assessment. It is therefore important that we score ten out of ten on controlling our performance and hence maximise the chances of fulfilling our potential. By maximising your potential you are much more likely to reach the goal and to maximise your potential you should only focus on controllable factors. Likewise, most of the factors in the controllable list are task-relevant, in other words if we are under pressure in a match situation it will help if we focus on ‘communication’ or ‘anticipation’, whereas all the factors in the uncontrollable list are task-irrelevant and will not help us referee the game. It is natural, especially for younger players, to focus on things like 'crowd' or 'assessments' which because they are uncontrollables tend to cause worry and anxiety. Unfortunately, this situation is often reinforced by the well-meaning friend or family members whose first question on arriving home after the match was ‘did you get a good assessment?’, rather than ‘did you enjoy yourself?’ or ‘did you referee well?’. Hence, the sooner you focus on relevant processes, the more likely Refereeing will be fun, rather than a source of stress. OUR AIM IS TO FOCUS ON THE PROCESSES IN REFEREEING WHICH HELP US PERFORM TO THE BEST OF OUR ABILITY i.e. YOUR PLAYER MANAGEMENT, YOUR DECISIONS, THE EFFORT YOU APPLY, ALL ASPECTS OF YOUR PERFORMANCE, THAT YOU CAN CONTROL. Each of the factors identified as controllable, but not thought to be under your control, need to be systematically broken-down and strategies developed that will bring that variable into your control. Activity 3: (As individuals or in small groups as identified by the Referee Coach). Take one factor that you or your group feel is outside your control at the moment, within the list of CONTROLLABLE FACTORS. List the strategies that may be used in preparation or training that will allow you to control that factor. (20mins). (Referee Coaches should prepare strategies for all factors in the controllable list, in preparation). If time allows, identify further factors and further strategies for controlling these factors. Again, I have included an example of one of these controllable factors (that may not currently be controlled) and typical strategies that the coach or referees may use to bring that factor inside their control.

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