 Dealing with Difficult Behaviour How Behaviour Drives Success as a Referee Shannon Maheu, HBA, MEd Psychology February 25,

 Why is bad behaviour so difficult to deal with? Photo source:

Why is bad behaviour so difficult to deal with?  We don’t like it  We can’t control it  We have no time to deal with it  We don’t know how to deal with it  We don’t know what to do about it

The Art of Refereeing  “The art of refereeing, like the art of medicine, requires not just a thorough knowledge of the laws but the craft to intervene wisely. I am not shy about making decisions – few doctors are – but stopping play for every misdemeanor destroys the flow and frustrates the players…”  “The laws also dictate that as a referee, I have ‘full authority’ and that my decisions ‘are final’. They do not however, suggest reciting this to players unhappy with those final decisions, unless resentment is the objective.” Taken from: theguardian.com, Sunday 10 June 2012 ‘How refereeing soccer made me a better doctor”

Mental Demands vs. Physical Demands of Refereeing

Referees are a Managing TEAM (United States Soccer Federation)  It is the responsibility of the referee team to establish and communicate a clear set of rules and guidelines for players to follow and to create an environment that encourages players to uphold those rules and guidelines.

Pressure…Pressure…Pressure…  There is so much pressure! Players Coaches Administrators Other referees Yourself Photo source: full/article/2011/12/ jpg

What makes an effective referee?  What qualities does a ‘good’ referee have?  What qualities does a ‘great’ referee have?  What about a ‘bad’ referee? What qualities does he/she have?

Qualities of an Effective Referee 1. Reliability 2. Communication 3. Decisive thinking 4. Elegance 5. Integrity 6. Common sense 7. Confidence 8. Motivation Based on FIFA Standards & sport psychology research

That’s all it takes, right? WRONG!  “On a few occasions I have not done that [stand up and be counted] and learned along the way that you are there to do a job. If a big decision needs to be made then it needs to be made and if you don’t make it then it inadvertently end up raising your profile by not doing the job.” Howard Webb, appointed referee for 2010 Champions League & World Cup final

FIRST, Are you the problem? Photo source:

 Watch Discuss... Watch Discuss... Photo source: blowing-whistle-image Maximize Effective Referee Qualities to Minimize Difficult Behaviours

 What do the Player’s want? Justice High Intensity Game Be Heard Test the Referee

How do Referees work together?

The 3 “A’s of Bad Referee Qualities ArrogantAggressiveArgumentative REJECT PARTICIPATION!

Tips* on Dealing with Bad Behaviour *ones that you can really use  Be firm, but friendly  Change your posture  Use humour  Agree to disagree  Take a breath  Keep moving Photo source: Svein Oddvar Moen – Champions League Referee 2013

Wrap – Up!