Why bother?

[Fionntamhnach]

Lads, and lassies, I've helped coach both girls and boys football teams over the past three years. During that time I keep telling our players to watch their on-field discipline, while myself I would concentrate on the game in question, looking for different strengths and weaknesses in both sides and respecting the official. However last week I suddenly snapped. Not proud in saying it, but I had to walk away from the field in disgust and ask the remaining coaching team to carry on with a few minutes left to go; had I stayed by the sideline I don't think I could have controlled myself and got into serious bother.  The reason? I believe the referee was not calling the game fairly & I believe that there was a motive for doing so that affected none of the players in question who were playing, but rather against our own club.

Coming away from the match I had to say to myself "why bother"? Games at all levels in Tyrone from senior right down, dangerously, to lower youth levels are increasingly being heavily influenced not by the skills of the two teams in question, but rather the prejudices of the  game official. This has happened the other way - there was one game where the referee was giving us frees for nothing while the opponents had a hard time getting any. I fully understood the opposition getting angry over this, and spoke to them afterwards about it admitting that it wasn't right, but there was little we could do, and coming away with the victory wasn't as good of a feeling as usual. It was a "neutral" ref by the way. Some people might say that its a case of balance in such a situation. I disagree, you could have a bad or incompetent ref who is just poor at what they do without appearing to side with any team in particular. Maybe I've became a more cynical person myself, but I question myself is there any point in training youth teams for nearly half the year, sometimes in really crap conditions, arranging time off work (and getting into trouble the odd occasion), getting challenge matches, guests for presentations & special coaching etc. just so that the on field referee makes their mind up about whom they want to see win the game rather than call it and interpret the rules? Quite honestly I think myself and I'm sure many of the players could do other things rather than waste time and money like that. I was looking forward to helping out again in 2007, but I've become sick of the whole charade. To the best of my knowledge such incidents are unheard of in rugby, where the referee does command a lot of respect and while it is known in soccer, it is at adult (junior) level, I know of no cases at youth matches. IMHO situations like this are among the biggest dangers to children quitting playing gaelic games, and playing another sport (or concentrating on one they play alongside) instead, or just drift away from sport altogether.

Sorry for the rant, but I want to get that off my chest.

[ONeill]

Referees are the same as you and me. They are not a separate breed of people. And like you and me, some have frailties. It could be a player who upset the ref early on, giving him an instant dislike to that player's team, albeit an unprofessional approach to take. All managers have encountered refs with seemingly biased agendas but you grin and bear it as it's only one in many. I'd say you could name 10 fairly reffed games this year to that one you mentioned. I'm sure Mickey Harte could regale you with tales of being at the end of horrendous refereeing over the years. Some managers will complain but get on with it. Others will not and decide to walk away. There are rogues in all walks of life. That's life. Rising above that is the challenge.

There is also the complaints option.

[Fionntamhnach]

O'Neill, I certainly take on board what you have said. That's why I always tell the players to not dispute the referees decisions on the field of play as doing so is likely to make the referee in turn more hardened to awarding frees to your team, though in 99% of cases this is forgotten after the game, the slate wiped clean until the next outing. Heck, I've refereed games myself and if anything if my own team are playing I tend to be harder to my own to allow them to know the inconsistencies of different refs in future games whom can be poor but don't set out to determine results. Trying to rise above such a situation that I've outlined above, which isn't the first to happen to us in similar circumstances this year, is impossible unfortunately. I personally believe it'll do damage in the long run, especially when parents are present at these games.

Onion Bag, I'd rather not say on this board.

[Forgot me Boots]

I have had this as well, refs taking a dislike to your team with for no apparent reason and blowing up for nothing at all, or not at all as the case me be, even to such an extent that i was close to taking the team off the field under child protection.

Complain, thought long and hard about it, but whats the use, what would happen? would i have all the refs in the county after my team? I don't know, but I still thought this would be to the detriment of my club and the kids, and after all thats why we do it, for the kids.

Fionntamhnach, you obviously have a passion for the game, don't let one half wit of a ref dampen your spirits and as Helen Lovejoy would say "Wont someone think of the children"

[Cloc Mor]

Is it due to the incompetence of the men in middle.  I'm not sure if some of deliberately go out to make bad decisions, I think alot just don't know any better.  Here in Down there are only a handful of referees who you could rely on to 'consistently' do a decent job.  The rest are just a bunch of tubes, some of whom get so jumped up and arrogant when they put the whistle round their neck.  I know our games cannot survive without them but they must take alot of the blame for the indiscipline on the field as it is their calls that leads to the frustrations of players/managers/parents and Fionntamhnach.

[screenexile]

Happened to me in an U16 game!

In a Senior game, our own club referee had sent 5 men off from one club in a particular game. We then had a referee from the that club referee our Championship Semi Final Replay and didn't get a call for the entire match!!! I got my first ever booking during this game for something completely innocuous... I've probably only had 4 more since then and that was 10 years ago now.

Regardless anyway we lost the match by 10 and it wasn't the referees fault, but I still maintain that he was biased against us and it should NEVER happen.

[Lar Naparka]

I have no experience of |Tyrone club football but I'd say that the problem spreads far beyond Tyrone's borders. I wouldn't confine my criticism to referees either as I think many of the other officials as well could do with a change of attitude.
I wouldn't claim for a moment that all officials let their prejudices and opinions interfere with their control of games in hand  but I have seen enough to say that it does present a problem and it is a growing one.
Of course, they are not acting in isolation but are imbued with the approach of the clubs they belong to and, to me at any rate, the problem begins at club level.
I have been involved with football at Primary School level for almost 40 years and I can say that here the standards are being maintained and biased referring or dodgy umpire calls are not a factor, but the standards of supporters on the sidelines definitely can be.
Many kids from the school I have taught in play also for the local club and we have depended on this club for the use of playing pitches and help on occasion with coaching and the likes.. I know most schools in the Dublin area have the same type of relationship with clubs in their own areas.
I am saying that there is a world of difference between the standards schools expect and those operating at club level generally. Shouting profanities at the referee and urging one's own players to lay into the opposition is commonplace and roaring obscenities at opposing players is considered the height of wit.
I have been called a right narky bollix many times by fervent supporters of my local club whenever  I was reffing. It was considered downright unsporting for me to stop a game and order some parents and supporters to get off the field and moderate their language or to get the hell away from interfering with umpires or threatening opposing players.
The big problem with so many club games is that referees tend to be junior players themselves and so be vulnerable to influence from the sidelines. Given the example from there it is no wonder that many kids either get disenchanted with the game and drift away from the sport or else copy the attitudes of their elders.
Because of our school's relationship with the local club I have been involved in loads of blitzes, involving other Dublin clubs and at time clubs from other  counties as well and I do say that the problem is a widespread one.

Fionntamhnach, I wouldn't give up if I were you. If  you think you are doing the right thing stick at it!
Kids do look up to their mentors who have positive standards and they do need support to counteract the cynical approach from so many on the sidelines. Many young referees also benefit from positive encouragement from team mentors - God knows they get enough of the other sort from the crowd around them.

You are right about rugby;  I played it for many years and I did a lot of reffing also.
As a game and as a culture it may have its faults but, believe me, it leaves the GAA in it wake where sportsmanship and playing the game in the proper manner is concerned.

In Rugby the all important rule is number 8 in the ref's little rule book: "The referee shall be the sole judge of law and fact."
You may question his parentage or display your disapproval at his decisions but that's as far as it goes; you stay on the sideline as a supporter and as a player you don't actively argue with his decisions. The GAA has a lot of catching up to do!

[Bensars]

 Fionntamhnach , i know what your saying and most of us have been through it as players and coaches.

To answer the inital question, Why Bother?  For me the answer is quite simple, to see a young one adopt and improve and at the end of the season for someone ( Players) to just says thanks.

[TORGAEL]

I help coach my local u-16 team in Co.Down, and have also suffered at the hands of not so impartial referees over the years. It's a shame when this happens as the kids are the ones who suffer, but in answer to your question, "Why bother ?", its because of these very kids. Its because they are the future of our clubs, and our association, that we bother. Fionntamhnach, keep up the good work

[lynchbhoy]

I understand what you mean Fionntamnach

Had the same problem in two games his season.
I coached a Minor side this year and in two games we had two bad refs from a club up the road - who despise our club (being bigger and successful).

The first guy played 10 mins inj time until the opposition scored a goal to draw the game, before he blew the final whistle

the second guy played 47 mins in the second half , hoping that the crowd of thugs (st monicas) we played against would get a goal , but blew up soon after we got the goal and won by 5 points.
A refs assessor was at the game and told our chairman that he was reporting the ref to the ref's board.

Not much you can do in these situations, county boards are very short of refs so nobody wants to p**s them off

Its a disgrace to try and cheat kids though...

[bingobus]

Had it as a coach and it is without doubt the most fustrating and annoying thing that can happen when you are trying to install discipline and respect into players in their formative years.

I have experienced it from two Refs, once from the same Ref on two occasions. One was a U-14 final and it was absolutely blatant. Senior members of the other club agreed afterwards.

It will never go away with the GAA because it is so localised and because clubs meet on so many levels. Unless a county board is strong enough or is enforced to ref the refs as such and are shown to be doing it, then it will never go away. A ref can be bad to both sides and to me, thats fair enough. Refs that are clearly bias to one side and it is clear to a party not involved (county board offical) should be held accountable, even if it is just a "you where very bad in that game, please explain your level of performance" letter, well at least they are made aware of it. But no eveidence will be available unless the match is recorded and this is rarely the case unless it is senior championship or an underage final.

I know one  Ref in the County well and he has requested not to ref our club as he is well known to the players and feels that he would be accused of bias if he was to ref any club matches. I think that this is sensible & honest by him.