Ref Base – Mentor Evaluations

Work on staying with the 2nd to last defender - remember that the goalkeeper will usually be one of these defenders. You were often ahead of the offside line which will make it more difficult to judge. Work on following the ball to the goal line and making your goal kick and corner kick signals within about a yard of the corner flag. This will help you be in position when needed to judge if a ball quickly goes in the goal and then comes out.

You did a good job of correctly identifying an offside call and executing the proper offside mechanics. This was around the 42'. There was another instance in about the 45' when an attacker came from an offside position and then received a pass now in an onside position. This should have been recognized as offside. We discussed this after the game, and you properly identified the scenario as offside. Again, being in proper position and maintaining focus throughout the match will help you improve performance.

Keep working on making eye contact with the referee before signaling. This will help avoid conflicting signals between the AR and the referee.

Add a watch - it doesn't need to be fancy. Something with a timer that counts up from zero is good. Many are available on the internet or at Walmart for under $15.

Malachi - I believe you can be a very good official. However, you have a habit of playing with the flag (rolling it up, holding it behind your back, or just swinging it around) while play is away from you. This makes you look like you have lost focus and lack interest in the game. Remember to generally hold the flag unfurled straight down in your left hand facing the referee. You can hold the flag in your right hand when you're running back up the field - again with the flag towards the field. Please make this your priority point of improvement.

I realize that Malachi has been officiating for a while. However, he has some really bad habits (not keeping up with the offside line and flag mechanics away from play) and it's clear he is losing focus. We talked at halftime about not playing with the flag/holding it behind his back, and there was no improvement in the second half. I did see him towards the end of the day and maybe he was tired. Regardless, I recommend him for a follow-up mentor game.