REFS NEED LOVE TOO
An honest perspective from the 3rd team on the pitch... the referees. Through humor, analysis and education, we are slowly changing how people view referees and officials in all sports. We care and have a love for the game as much as any player or coach. Sometimes even more. Youth soccer (proper football) is a multi-billion $ industry in the US. Tremendous money is spent on players, competitions, travel etc., but almost nothing spent on developing the next generation of referees. I hope that this Podcast inspires, educates and humanizes the next generation of referees for their own development and appreciation from the players, coaches and spectators they need to work alongside.
REFS NEED LOVE TOO
Strategic Officiating: Navigating Mass Confrontations and Being Thankful for the Beautiful Game
What if managing a soccer match could be as strategic as a chess game, with every move calculated for maximum safety and control? Join me, David Gerson, as I unravel the art of officiating amidst the beauty and chaos of soccer, especially in the challenging aftermath of Hurricane Helene. This episode promises insights into the delicate balance of passion and responsibility, focusing on strategies to handle mass confrontations on the field. From forming a "triangle of control" with fellow referees to harnessing the leadership of team captains, learn how quick, decisive actions can ensure the safety and integrity of the game.
Drawing from over a decade of experience as a grassroots referee, I share the tools and techniques that have empowered me in my journey. Technology plays a pivotal role here, with the RefSix app transforming the way referees can enhance their performance. Imagine having instant access to metrics like distance covered and sprint stats, just like having your personal coach right on your wrist. The app not only aids in precise game management but also fosters a sense of community among referees, encouraging support and constructive feedback, which is crucial in a profession that can often feel isolated.
The episode also shines a light on the often-overlooked issue of referee abuse, with practical advice on handling hostility and maintaining professionalism in the face of adversity. Hear stories of dedication, like that of a 55-year-old grassroots referee chasing his dream to reach the regional level, proving that age is just a number when it comes to passion and commitment. Finally, I express my gratitude to our listeners, whose support through ratings keeps this platform alive and thriving. Let's celebrate the privilege of being part of the soccer community, where every match is an opportunity to grow, lead, and inspire.
Hey guys, before we get into this week's pod, I just want to give a quick note of appreciation for the beautiful game of soccer and to say what a wonderful privilege it is to be able to play the game, to be able to ref the game, to be able to watch the game. I live down here in Atlanta, georgia, and we were just barely outside of the path of Hurricane Helene and I have to say, as much soccer videos that I watch in my daily life and get sent videos of different soccer plays from all over the world, I could not tear my eyes away from the devastation in Florida, in parts of Georgia, south Carolina, where my son goes to college, and North Carolina in particular, where I've visited many times. Again, it's a privilege to have the opportunity to go to the soccer pitch every week. It's a privilege to be able to sit on our couch or go to a bar with electricity and drink a beer and watch people playing soccer around the world. It is a privilege that we should enjoy and appreciate every single minute. We get to do it, we get to watch it, we get to experience it, because it could be gone in a second, and again, I think I might start every single one of my podcasts with some little bit of thankfulness and appreciation for how lucky we are to be alive and often to be able to be a part of a beautiful game.
Speaker 1:Welcome to the Ref Seed Love 2 podcast, a show that gives you a real, raw and behind-the-scenes view of one of the hardest jobs on the pitch the referee. I'm your host, david Gerson, a grassroots referee with 10 years of experience and over 1,200 matches under my belt. You can find me at refsneedlovetocom, on Insta, tiktok and now even on YouTube. This week we will be discussing every referee's worst nightmare the mass confrontation and hitting a wide range of letters from the mailbox. Okay, mass confrontation, talk about referee nightmare. I've only been in a few of these in my life, thankfully, thankfully, but they're scary when they happen. So we're going to talk through this a little bit.
Speaker 1:And what is some of the guidance for referees when this does take place? Because, I tell you, I've seen a lot of videos where it's not handled correctly, where a referee tries to insert themselves in the middle of a mass confrontation. Okay, and that is not only dangerous to the referee, potentially dangerous for the players, but who's really looking and watching what's actually going on in the pitch so that we can deal with discipline after the mass confrontation ends. So what is the definition of a mass confrontation? Engaging in physical or verbal confrontation, or it's toward the referee by players on the same team, involving intimidating or aggressive behavior towards an official? So it can be towards a ref as well. So if the referee can identify situations of mass confrontation early, they might be able to avert the situation with active intervention.
Speaker 1:But once a mass confrontation breaks out, then we got to think about our safety and really start thinking about how we're going to document the situation. So, first and foremost, if the situation only involves two players okay, so you see two people square up to each other or they start drawing at each other and coming together then the referee has flexibility and discretion to manage the situation. And when we say manage the situation, it could be loud whistle back up, maybe even running over and getting in between the two people before they're within arm's reach. Yes, that's okay and that can be approved and actually encouraged if we can, because the coaches are going to be way too far away. We certainly don't want them coming out on the pitch to deal with that. We don't want parents coming out on the pitch.
Speaker 1:If you've got two people that seem like they're about to be getting close or they're getting each other's face, okay, and it's only two people, then please, by all means, loud, freaking whistle. I've got a really loud whistle the two that I use, okay. I've got a really loud tool that I use Okay, the Fox 40 sonic blast and my new one that I call the monster. It's almost 130 decibels. Let me tell you a couple of good peeps on that thing. People are going to stop what they're doing. They know that you're there, using your voice, trying to talk everyone down, back up, whatever it might be, try and get in the middle of that, and again you might have a situation where it's two players, where it's one player in particular who's trying to instigate it or provoke the situation, trying to initiate a melee. So you should deal harshly, or more harshly, with that person in particular.
Speaker 1:So if two people come together, it's not necessarily a yellow card. Who instigates it? Who's trying to get up into the other person's face? Who's trying to get up into the other person's face, who's trying to maybe bump chess or who's trying to instigate a fight, that person can get a yellow card, no doubt for unsporting behavior. But, depending on what happens, we might have to go yellow card just to keep the peace, because maybe the player who winds up he's not the instigator of the little confrontation, but maybe they committed a foul at a point in the match that someone took an issue with and we might have to go yellow card just like simmer everyone down, hey, everyone chill out. Okay. But definitely the instigator, provoker, needs to know hey, that's unacceptable, you can't do that, you can't do it, you got to deal more firmly with that player. All right. So if we start getting into the situation where we've got a higher number of players, more than just two players, again still pay attention to that person who instigated and provoked the whole thing, okay, who caused the commotion. But at that point we're going to have to start backing out of the situation and form the triangle of control.
Speaker 1:Sounds like a really like mysterious thing or something like the Bermuda triangle, but it's the triangle of control. I should have saved this episode for Halloween, gotta be honest. But that's where we actually the entire officiating team works together to be able to identify what's happening on the field and who needs to be sanctioned after the play or the mass confrontation ends. So I would say if there's a mass confrontation, the center referee and the two assistant referees, okay, you're all involved. The assistant referee does not need to wait for a center referee to run in and break up something that's right in front of you. Okay, let's say that. So you got two people coming together right in front of the assistant referee. Hey, assistant referee, put down the flag and go over and see if you can get those two apart. You don't have to physically touch them, but see if you could use your voice and try and get in the middle and keep those two apart. If you can't, if you can't, if you can't, then we move into the triangle of control.
Speaker 1:If you have a fourth official if it's a really high level match or we're dealing with a UPSL or something of that nature or a college match the fourth official, their job is to keep everyone on the benches and focus on the coaches in the technical area. They try and keep everyone in the technical area the best they possibly can. Once they've done that, hey, they can keep an eye on what's happening with the mass con, but keep everyone in the technical area so you don't get more than already the people that you have on the pitch. So again, ar closest or whoever's closest to play, trying to fuse the situation before it escalates, before it becomes a mass con where we've got over three people. And then also, if you can get there early, before we get into a mass conversation, before we get three, four or five people involved, maybe bust out those cards really quickly too, so if you've got two people coming together in each other's face, you can get them apart quickly.
Speaker 1:Yellow card Let everyone know hey, if you come into this, there will be cards that are coming out and that might prevent other people from joining in. Okay, I would also say too important to keep your head, because if you come flying into the situation and you start screaming at people, like yelling at them, like it's one thing getting their attention with a whistle, but when you're coming at them with a whistle, hey, hey, hey, hey, everyone, whoa, whoa, whoa, hey, playing a game of soccer here. I don't want to have to send anyone off for fighting and we're chill out, calm down, chill out as quickly as we possibly can. Let's try and bring the temperature of the situation down. Get the two players away from everyone else. Maybe bring over the captains hey, captains, come on in here.
Speaker 1:Hey, deep breath. Okay, I saw what happened, I got it. Let's talk about this. Take it down if you can. Okay, get them to a neutral area, brian. Get them isolated. Get everyone to take a moment. Maybe send everyone else off to the bench to get a drink or something like that, but try and get it all calmed down. It's going to take a moment. Maybe send everyone off to the bench to get a drink or something like that, but try and get it all calmed down. It's going to take a moment.
Speaker 1:Add time on to the end of the match, but right now, get everyone to take a breath and come back to the moment, because if you just card and just say, all right, let's go play, they still have that testosterone up, they still have that energy up and all of a sudden, the next foul is going to be like over the top and they're going to feel like they're still in the confrontation. So try and calm everyone down as much as you can. Okay, what was that? If you get, all, right. But once we get into a mass con, okay, it's beyond it. Right, we've got the two players. Okay, maybe it's three players. You can get them calm.
Speaker 1:But once you get past that three or four players and now we've got pushing and shoving and potentially punching and pulling, we've got physical things happening here and three or more players get, for personal safety reasons, clear thinking and decision making you must step back and the officiating team forms the triangle of control around the situation, so the other officials take their lead from the ref's position. So, wherever the ref is, you're going to form, essentially I think it's called I'm going to forget the name of this it's not a what are the 90 degree triangle, it's equilateral triangle, but you're going to try and around the player. So I think it's what 45, 45, 45. I don't know 60, 60, 60, 60 degrees, 60 degrees, 60 degrees, all right, so it's gotta be 180 degrees, if I'm not mistaken. I know I'm messing this up, but I'm so sorry.
Speaker 1:Again, we want to make sure that we can see what's going on from all angles around the mass confrontation. Okay, so that's going to enable us to watch for those instigators, those escalators, those additional people in. They talk about the third person in, but it might be the fourth person in the fifth person. Okay, we've got to watch for them person and the fifth person. We've got to watch for them. If we can identify a captain, use them as a peacemaker, get them to help you, facilitate control and get people away from other people.
Speaker 1:You're probably going to need to immediately start taking out your card that you're writing on or your notepad or whatever you have, because you want to start marking down numbers. Again, all someone needs to do in this situation they don't need to actually throw a punch and connect. But if you see someone getting hands to the face, hands to the neck, pulling of hair certainly a punch, without a doubt pushing someone over really hard, aggressively, that's where we start getting into violent conduct. Those are going to be red cards For people who might be just like really pulling people's jersey. Or again, those people who are laid in and are instigating, try and escalate the situation. Definitely yellow cards on those.
Speaker 1:Anyone like in high school, if they come off the bench and come into the situation, they're immediately set off. It's a red card, no doubt. So bench and come into the situation, they're immediately settled. It's a red card, no doubt. So take out your notepad, take out your card and start writing those things down and we can only really start again addressing the players in. Once the confrontation settles and I'll tell you, these things generally do settle they usually boil up pretty quickly and then come down every now and then. I mean they really get out of control and they last for a minute or more In that situation.
Speaker 1:If you've got that many people and that many people are fighting, the game might have to be abandoned. But once everything does calm down and mellow and chill, that's when we have time to get together as an officiating crew. Compare our notes Who'd you have for a red card, who'd you have for a yellow card and then we go about administering those red cards. First that's the most important those people need to be sent off and they're gone getting their red cards. We administer any of our yellow cards for less serious offenses. Maybe there wasn't a punch thrown, but they were instigator, they were last in, they were really trying to escalate the situation and they had unsupporting behavior. We may have to deal with issues in the technical area, maybe if there were some coaches who got out of control or, again, players coming off the bench, and then we try and restart the game if it's practical and I say if it's practical If we've had a mass confrontation and we're sending off four or five players or something of that nature, some from each team but you still do not have the temperature calm where you think you can move forward and complete the match.
Speaker 1:Or, let's say, there's only two or three minutes left in the match, like it was right at the end of the game. The match very well may need to be abandoned because people's safety is in jeopardy. At that point it really doesn't matter what the score is. Again, I like to say soccer or football is the most meaningful, meaningless thing. Yes, it means something to us, right? We're passionate about it, we get excited about it, we love to win, we hate to lose all of those things. But at the end of the day, everyone's safety, and your safety, is of utmost importance. So if you can't restart the game safely, we may very well have to abandon the match and let the league finish out what they're going to do in terms of a win or a loss or a forfeit for both teams or whatever discipline they're going to need to hand out there. But safety is the most important. So hopefully that was helpful If you have any advice or maybe you've been through a mass con before and you want to talk about what you did in the situation and you want to share that?
Speaker 1:Send me a letter to the mailbag at refsneedlove2 at gmailcom. I would sincerely appreciate hearing from you and getting your perspectives. That would be fantastic. Before we hop into the mailbag, now which we've got some great ones from the mailbag, I just want to briefly chat about RefSix. Refsix, if you don't know, they are an app and a website and tools for referees to help manage your game but also manage and improve your performance, and I just want to show a lot of love for them. They have been the earliest sponsor and supportive of the refs need love to channel from any like brand or partnership that I've done and literally it's three years today. Pretty much I think I started this I don't know like October 10th of 2021. So I'm like I started it like October 10th of 2021. So I'm like we're in October of 2024. Three years ago I started this channel and I connected with them early on because I had been a Ref6 user and they've been a supporter ever since. I honestly have a hard time imagining refereeing without using Ref6.
Speaker 1:The timer's amazing, amazing. I think back to before I actually had ref six on my Apple watch or had an Apple watch and I'd have to figure out okay, we're doing 80 minute halves, we're in the 66th minute, how much time is left. We call that stuff that people would ask you how much extra time or how much added time. All those things. I love the timer, seeing the elapsed time, timer mating, calculating stoppage time, and just to be able to add added time with the touch of a finger if someone goes down for an injury, whatnot. They're just like tap and I'm already going ahead and I'm adding my added time right there and just want to restart. We're back on is fantastic. It's just I never have to worry about how much time we have in the half of the game or something like that. And and then after the match, the first thing I do when I get in the car or have a moment to chill is check out my distance, my sprints, my overall performance and movement on the pitch, my heat maps, my sprint maps. It honestly inspires me to work harder and see my metric post game. It's like having a personal trainer or mentor with me on all of my matches and I love it.
Speaker 1:If you haven't used ref six or you already do and you want a discount, use code. Refs need love, just spelled out all kind of one word. Refs need love for 10% off, all plans at checkout, whether it's monthly or annual plan plans, the discount plot, all right. Now for the mailbag. I incorporated a few different ones today.
Speaker 1:Again, I read every single message that comes to me. I kid you not, I feel awful right now because I'm like two weeks behind on my Instagram messages, but you have to understand. I get about 10 to 15 a day, every single day, and a lot of them come with videos and it's sometimes hard to download them YouTube and watch them or VO and watch them and all that kind of stuff. Download them YouTube and watch them, or VO and watch them, and all that kind of stuff. And I always give people feedback on every single video that's sent to me and every question that's sent to me. But I promise you I read them. I don't read all of them here on the podcast, but I promise you you send me a message.
Speaker 1:If you email me, if you want my feedback on something or you just want to vent, if you just want to get something off your chest, reach out to me, man, shoot me a message. I am happy to be that person you can talk to. I know as a referee. It's a lonely existence. Your family is sick of hearing and they can't appreciate what you're going through. Your friends may not have any idea what you're going through. Your just coworkers certainly are not going to have any idea what you're going through, my gosh.
Speaker 1:I show up for work on a Monday and they don't even ask me anymore why I look so tan or sunburned or something like that. I ask them hey, what'd you do this weekend? And all of a sudden they're going to come back hey, what'd you do this weekend? And they're like, yeah, I know, you were on the soccer pitch, it's so old and they don't want to hear what someone said to me or a call I had to made, or something like that. Let me tell you. If you send me a message, I promise you I will read it and I really do appreciate you trusting in me to be vulnerable and to be honest and transparent, and I promise you I will be honest, transparent and empathetic in return, as long as you're being nice. If you're just being rude and you're trying to criticize a referee, then F you Okay, mailbag. So the first one literally rude. I kid you not? This is the first line in the paragraph. It says time to be vulnerable.
Speaker 1:I didn't like your content at first and I don't know why. I think I was jealous you were explaining things so freaking well. I love your stuff, man. You're not over the top. You're complimentary of the referee, regardless of whether the decision is right or wrong, and you're accurate. I also really like how your tone sounds when you explain. It comes off in a way where you're teaching at a spectator level, but also at the referees too, and so I withheld their name.
Speaker 1:But I will tell you, my most ardent critics are generally referees, and there are a lot of referees who get really frustrated at me because I may not use the perfect words or I may sensationalize some of the videos to be able to get people to watch. It's true, guys, it's social media. Obviously, us soccer ain't doing a great job of explaining the laws of the game, or PGMOL or whoever the referee organization is. I mean my gosh. Even here, the MLS, where they do the play reviews every single week. They got great content. I think it's fantastic, but no one watches the shit because they won't set it up specifically for TikTok or for Instagram or make it viewable in 90 seconds or less. So sometimes I explain things with some generic, simplified terms. Yeah, and I've had fellow referees you would think would be really supportive of me for what I'm doing. They actually, specifically, will go on to Facebook and post my video and talk about how bad of a job that I'm actually doing out there, which I find really funny. I would think they should be supportive of me. They're not, so whatever. So I thank you so much for who sent this one in and I appreciate that I've won you over with my charm and my honest desire to do a good job and spread the love for referees. All right, now we've got one from Mark Lemieux. I like that, like Mario Lemieux, like the famous Pittsburgh Penguin. It says just a note to say thank you.
Speaker 1:Last night I had a game between Plainfield Indiana and Mooresville girls. After a foul on top of the box, the penalty area, a defender rushed from distance to stop the attacker from playing. Quick, easy, yellow for failure to respect the difference that he wrote FRD. Okay, next line here. The goalkeeper, also a captain, professionally and politely asked me to explain why that was a card. I pulled out your game card and was able to point right at the reason on the card and use it. As I explained the card to her, I heard a number of aha sounds from the girls around me. I do not have the footage as it isn't up yet, but in that same infraction we had to clear the visiting parents from the sidelines for trash talking the opposing team's players.
Speaker 1:I'm going to pause right there. There's another sentence or two in this one. But, dude, if you are an adult and you are talking smack at some teenage girl or teenage boy or something like that, or some gosh forbid even younger children on the pitch, shame on you. Shame on you. There is no excuse. There is nothing that I can say or do to justify that behavior. There's nothing you could say or do to justify that behavior. It is just freaking awful, get a freaking grip people.
Speaker 1:Okay, back to the letter here. It says great game except for the early physical play in each other's backs. But after calling everything and anything that touched the back, the players got the message and adjusted their tactics, keeping everyone safe and improving the quality of game. Thanks again, mark Lemieux. Mark, great job, I got to tell you, man, I love that last sentence there. Great game, except for some early physical play in each other's back. Yeah, I feel the same way.
Speaker 1:If you're going to push someone hard, again, contact in the back, not a big deal. But if you're going to push them hard enough that they can't play the ball and you're going to challenge them or charge them to use the correct term in the laws of the game through their back, it's a foul. Call it. I'm telling you, man, the game is going to open up. People aren't going to be as frustrated. Let me tell you, it doesn't feel good to get an elbow or forearm in the bat. It doesn't. It's very frustrating. So call those fouls, those contact fouls like that, and you'll have a much more open fun game. So I encourage you to do it. It's a great job, mark, and thank you so much for your kind words. All right Now, not so much of a fun one.
Speaker 1:This one says hey, this weekend I experienced my first case of ref abuse. I had parents and coaches coming onto the pitch and screaming and cursing after I blew the final whistle. Do you have any advice on dealing with it? I'm still really shook up. I am confident in my calls and I handled the on-field game management well, as the players were fine with me, but the parents and coaches weren't. I had high school-aged assistant referees with me and I can't help but go through it over and over, trying to figure out how I could have prevented putting them in a dangerous position. Thanks for all your videos. They've helped me a lot as a ref and I would love to hear any advice. This weekend is going to stick with me for a while. I tell you that is just. This is heartbreaking. This is heartbreaking, okay. So the screaming and cursing after the final whistle. Do you have any advice on dealing with it? Now I'm going to talk about this like for the. Let's say we're past the game day, it's that night, it's the next day.
Speaker 1:I think it's so important to reflect, but not dwell on our performances. I would also think it's really important to get feedback from your fellow referees, because those are the opinions that matter, even teenage referees. What did they see? Did they feel like it was the right level of fouls? Were you communicating enough for everyone? Did they see the same thing that parents and coaches are complaining about? That is valuable feedback from biased parents and coaches. That's not okay. And let me tell you if I've got coaches and parents coming up and screaming and cursing after the final whistle. Okay, coaches, those are red cards. They're cursing at me. That's a red card. No doubt it's sent off and we're going to have a report. I got parents come onto the pitch. Oh man, that is absolutely going in my report. I promise you that. Oh yeah, I'm writing that up. That's how I'm going to deal with this stuff, because that should never happen again, especially when we've got a couple of teenagers who are working with us as well as assistant referees. That's awful, awful.
Speaker 1:Again, if you feel like you managed the game and you managed it well for the players and you were communicating well during the match, you sometimes can't control how the parents and coaches are going to act. Now, if they were acting up during the game, then you've got options right. You can certainly be cautioning the coach during the match. You've given a warning that you can caution them during the match. If the parents are really out of control during the match too, hey, you can deal with that. You can walk over to the coach, say coach, the parents are engaging in public dissent. You need to go have a conversation with them. There's only one referee on the pitch, one referee here making calls. They can cheer as spectators, but they can't be dissenting towards the referee or gosh forbid yelling anything that might be disparaging. They're going to be sent off and we'll be writing a report about it. So during the match, you can take action too.
Speaker 1:After the match, again, red cards and then writing a report is really what you've got to do, and I would just tell you as you move forward, maybe that night, write down what do you think you did, what do you think you could have improved on. Again, get your feedback from your crew, but after that look forward Again. The past is history. The future is a mystery. Today is a gift. That's why they call it the present. Focus on the present. That's the only thing real. It's the only thing real.
Speaker 1:Having anxiety about what happened in the past or what may happen in the future is completely made up. It's mystery land. Get it out of your head. Focus on the present. Go, hug and kiss your family. If you've got a dog, go hug your dog. Go take a walk without electronics and don't look at your phone. And get back in the present as soon as you possibly can, because, man, you are a great referee. If you care this much. I guarantee you're a good referee and don't let some stupid parents and stupid coaches bring you down. I'll tell you one last thing on that. On a Friday night high school match, I was literally followed out to the parking lot and people were screaming at me that I was the worst referee that they'd ever seen. And literally 11 am the next morning on a Saturday, I had parents and players coming up telling me I was the best referee they've ever seen. So the truth is someplace in the middle. Okay, don't let some angry, bitter parent um or coaches bring you down. All right.
Speaker 1:Next one if you could do, address the rules and nuances of where a player takes a throw in relation to where the ball exited the field of play. We often see players take as much as 10 to 15 yards towards the cone and skull from the point of exit. What are the rules and guidelines for officiating crew in such cases? It's a great question. I love this. I love this.
Speaker 1:On free kicks, say for offside in the defensive half or a throw in the defensive half, if they're not being like heavily pressured again, I don't care if you take five yards, eight yards, even 10 yards on a throw in your own defensive half. There's no pressure, no big deal. Okay, what advantage are you gaining from that? Throw in free kicks again, 10 yards up the field, maybe a little bit much. So, again, if it's to the left or the right of the pitch, really no big deal. On the offside restart or something like that, or a foul restart, not a big deal. 10 yards closer to the opponent's goal, that's a big deal. Okay. On a free kick, because someone could, from their own half of the field, launch a ball up to the opponent's penalty area and it's an attacking opportunity. So again, I really don't care.
Speaker 1:Generally, my rule of thumb is it's like an eight four, two If it's in your own defensive. Third, I'll give you eight yards of flexibility. I'm not going to be really specific about where that ball is spotted. On a restart, if it's in the middle of the field, I'll give you about four or five yards of flexibility. On a throw in Again. On a free kick side to side, not so much of a big deal, but if you're taking it five yards closer to your opponent's goal, that could be a big deal and that could be an advantage. If it's no advantage and it's a side to side and they stop that ball and they want to play it, fine, no problem, throw in again. Four or five yards, no big deal. When you start getting into the final third of the field, then position of the ball side to side and up close to the goal, it really does matter. So in that scenario I would say I'll give you a yard or two side to side and again, it's not an exact science, but I'm certainly not allowing someone to move the ball five yards closer to the goal. I'm going to try and get that ball spotted as close as I can to where the free kick offense occurred. Or if it's a throw-in, again I'll give you a little bit of latitude. A couple yards, that's about it. So my tolerance for the restart being as close as possible to the throw-in wherever the restart is going to be a lot tighter the closer I get to your opponent's goal. So hopefully that answers your question. All right, I got just a couple more here.
Speaker 1:This last one, actually last one, this is from Jim, a self-described middle-aged ref. I love that. Okay, he says hey man, uh, oh, I'm sorry, let's see. Oh, he was asking you about an order and I forgot how I responded. But he writes hey, man, no problem, look forward to receiving it whenever you're able to fill the order, and thanks for everything. I must've been out of stock, so might've been one of those things that was out of stock and I was telling him hey, it's going to be like another week or so. So he said thanks for everything you do for referees. He then writes I am a 55 year old grassroots referee in Pittsburgh trying to upgrade to regional for the first time. Okay, I'm going to stop right fucking there. Excuse my language, my gosh, I cussed a lot today. I'm so sorry, I'm going to stop right there.
Speaker 1:Dude is 55, 55 and looking to upgrade for regional. Let me tell you, I know one guy here in Georgia who's close to my age I think he's about two or three years my junior and he's just upgraded to regional. Let me tell you that is rare. That is rare air to do that. To have the commitment to get the games in that you need those 25 adult competitive UPSL level matches, those USL2 level matches. Get all those really high level matches in your area that are on Friday night and Saturday nights and you got to be there in an hour and a half early and you're filling out reports an hour late. Man, it is hard work. Those are like the hardest matches that you can do as a referee. And these guys are doing it week in, week out over a couple of years and they're going through the assessments. Man, if you got the desire to move up to regional at 55 years old, oh my gosh, do I have respect for you? I just want to stop right there. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Next one, he says as a former competitive runner the fitness test was relatively easy for me, but many of my colleagues in their twenties and thirties are struggling to pass their tests. Okay, and your podcast highlighting fitness, including the latest by running ref, may help many of them. Okay, I want to stop right there too. Oh, I'm so jealous. Former competitive runner. So this guy, he's an athlete. It's amazing. So, yes, he's putting in the time, he's putting in the effort and perfecting his craft as a referee, but he's obviously extremely fit. I'm so jealous. I've always been very heavy on my feet as a runner and so, as I get older, just that constant running on a track, whatnot, man, it really wears me out. It gives me some back pain. I hate it, I hate it. So this guy's got an advantage there, so good for them. All right. Last one here he writes I'm also obsessed with the data I get on my ref six app and it brings me a lot of joy to know that I'm not the only middle-aged guy in the world who is doing all this crazy ref stuff. Best regards, jim. Yes, jim, yes, we are out there.
Speaker 1:I know a lot of the people that you see go to regionals and president's cup are young. Okay, every now and then they'll have one or two, like my buddy here in Atlanta who just became regional. He went to regionals this year but it's hard. Number one to even be selected is usually they just want young people who are those up andcomers who have the chance to move up and become semi-professional, professional referees. Those are the ones who get the opportunity to go to regionals, but also who can take the eight days that you need to take off to go to regionals and not really get paid at all for your time you're going there. It's a major commitment. Also, again, putting in those hours to work those games when you've got a family and when you've got other commitments and when you've got a full-time job. It's hard to do If you are in your late 30s, your 40s, your 50s and you're still pushing yourself to be able to work those extremely demanding game where you're running five, six, seven miles with young adult men and women who are at their peak fitness at 19, 20, 23, 24 years old and you're out there at 50, 55 years old booking it down the pitch, running until that 90th plus five minute to be in the right position for every single call and you still have the mental fortitude to make those critical match decisions when they need to be done, after you've been working your butt out there for those hours. Man, this buds for you. Buddy Got so much respect for you. Jim. Congratulations, sir. I wish you all the best and I hope you make it to regional. Please send me a pic, send me a video. When you've got that regional badge. We'll talk about you again on the podcast.
Speaker 1:All right, guys, I hope you enjoyed today's pod. There is so much to be in a referee. Sometimes we are there just to simply call foul. Sometimes we are there to keep the peace If we've got a mass confrontation about to break out. Sometimes we have to act like a judge and the jury and hand out punishments for violent behavior. One thing is for sure. There is never a dull moment and that is why I love it. Also, please support the Ref's Need Love 2 store online.
Speaker 1:Check out the new whistle I recently added the monster. It's so loud and so crisp. I love it with the finger grip. Pick up some merch if you haven't already. Again, everything gets poured back into making this channel possible. Sincerely, appreciate it.
Speaker 1:And the last thing I'm going to ask you guys can you please take a moment at the conclusion of today's show to rate the podcast specifically on Apple Podcasts or on Spotify. Just take 30 seconds after this is over. Pull over if you're driving your car, wherever you get, where you're going. Those ratings are huge for small podcasters like me. Definitely, downloads is something that people look at in terms of advertisers and sponsors of the show, but those ratings are massive. So rate the episode, rate the channel overall. Man, I tell you thank you so much if you take the time to do that. I really would appreciate your support there and, as always, I wish you all the best and I hope, your next match. It's a privilege to have that next match. I have so many people who can't right now. I hope your next match is red card break. We'll see you next week, you.