Ref Base – Mentor Evaluations

Chris did well to move the length of the field, and in particular for the Boys match, he moved quickly with play on counter attacks.

I did suggest to Chris that he move further to the left on the field relative to attacking play during situations where play was in the attacking third. My emphasis was that by doing this he would be able to be in a better position to see foul contact between opponents, and more effectively be able to sell calls (or non-calls) .

As part of our discussion at halftime of the first game was for Chris to initiate the substitution process in a different manner. Instead of immediately beckoning subs onto the field, I advised that he point upward toward the officials area. I also suggested that he use the 'double-tap' to get players' attention to start the substitution event. Chris acknowledged this and changed how he signaled and whistled for the 2nd half and the next game.

During attacking, ceremonial free kicks, I suggested that Chris make full strides when pacing the 10-yard distance. Initially, his paces appeared too short (normal walking steps) as opposed to full, purposeful strides. He made this change during subsequent attacking FK situations.

I suggested to Chris that he signal for corner kicks with a 45 degree arm signal above the horizon, opposed to a flat or downward signal. He adjusted that signal in the 2nd half.

Chris' uniform was correct.

It was good working with you this past Saturday. Your interest and dedication shown in our discussions is an indication to me that you will be improving in the near future on your officiating journey.

In addition to the advice provided above (and after the matches), focus on your foul selection and recognition. One area that will help in that regard is moving closer to play in left attacking third. Another is watching closely to the sequence of events leading up to contact between opponents. For instance, if a player first plays the ball, and then immediately after makes incidental contact to the opponent, avoid calling a foul on that player. In this situation, it's likely either a no-call, or the foul should be called against the opponent who didn't touch the ball.

My biggest concern was that in the boy's match, Christopher's foul judgement was inconsistent. There were situations where I was expecting a simple foul call to be made, but no whistle. And other situations where it wasn't clear that a foul occurred, at least not more than trifling contact, and play was stopped. This frustrated both coaches and confused the players. What I noted though is that in the girl's game that followed, he did better at calling fouls that were expected. I believe that the pace, intensity and frequency of contact with a competative boys matches, especially teenagers, were somewhat overwhelming for Chris. I observed he was forced to make more decisions that he didn't have experience with. One suggestion would be to have him center younger boys game or girls games where you expect the degree and frequency of challenges will be less9ou9i .