Referees impact has positive effect

Apr 21 2009 By Graham Britton

A FOOTBALL referee is regarded by many as someone who often makes mistakes and receives endless criticism from players, coaching staff and supporters.

The number of qualified referees taking charge of senior matches in Huddersfield reached an all-time low last season, with between only 14 and 19 available for Saturday fixtures and six on Sundays.

And, in an interview with the Examiner last year, Sir Trevor Brooking, director of football development at Soho Square, said the FA lost around 7,000 referees nationwide each year.

Despite the worrying figures, for Mik Roberts, of Honley, who completed a referee course held at Newsome Sports College last month, taking up the whistle is something he thoroughly enjoys.

Mik, 38, said: "I read about the shortage of referees in the town and thought ‘why not give it a go’." I have always loved playing and coaching, and I now love refereeing."

Players directing verbal abuse at officials and a general lack of respect shown to them have been cited as the main reasons for the decline in numbers.

The Examiner launched its Save The Ref campaign in August to help put an end to the town’s crisis and entice more people to become a referee.

Now, seven months into our project, there has been an improvement in many leagues and all Sunday fixtures are being controlled by a trained official.

There has also been dramatic progress made on Saturdays in leagues like the District and Works.

Mik, who said the course he completed at Newsome was very informative, explained: "A few of my friends also trained for their referee’s badge at the same time as me and also enjoyed it.

"I think that ex-players, whether at a professional or amateur level, tend to make good referees because of the experience they have had and knowledge of situations.