Observer event a success
Wed 18th October 2017 | General | By Ian Templeman
Referee observers from the Lancashire FA took part in a training event at the Division One game between Atherton LR and Sandbach United on Saturday 7th October.
The event was arranged in conjunction with the League Management Committee and the two clubs, and was part of a new initiative which is aimed at improving and standardising the way in which Lancashire FA referee observers - formerly known as referee assessors - carry out assessments of referees on match days.
The Lancashire FA appoint match officials and observers for the Hallmark Security League Division One games and the West Lancashire League Premier Division. The referees are marked on each game, with a mark going in from each club for each game, and the referees are assessed regularly throughout the season.
The observer event was organised in conjunction with the League by Iain Siddall, Supply League Referee Observer Officer at the Lancashire FA, and he explained the idea behind the day.
"The assessing scheme means that we have to have observers trained as consistently as possible, and we believe the best way to do that is to get a number of them together and assess the same game", he said.
"So for the Atherton LR v Sandbach United game, the game took place on the Saturday, and on the Wednesday night after the game there was a meeting at the Lancashire FA with a debriefing session around the sort of things we would recognise as good refereeing, and also focussing on areas where we could offer the referee advice.
"The core purpose of the exercise was to get a consistency within the observers, and to try and keep that consistency as much as we can, therefore it makes sense to get together and practice together at getting better in doing that.
"The game between Atherton LR and Sandbach was very competitive. The pitch was wet and soft, it was a good feisty game and in many ways it was exactly what I was looking for.
"There were eleven observers there on the day, and they came to the debriefing session on the Wednesday night when I went through the process. The referee only had contact with one of us on match day, who was the official observer for the game.
"The clubs had their input on the day, as I used the reports that the clubs submitted on the referee in the Wednesday session.
"All the observers had to complete a report on the referee and were all within one mark, which was good as it showed there wasn't any inconsistency in the way they were marking him. Going forward I am also looking for this type of exercise to be helpful in improving the quality of reports we get in from observers, and ensuring they are observing the right things that need to be improved.
"It was a successful event, and I'd like to thank everyone who helped with staging it. I'd like to do it again in March towards the end of the season, as part of preparation for the following season".
League Vice-Chairman Geoff Wilkinson headed up the initiative on behalf of the League Management Committee, and said that the League were delighted to work with the Lancashire FA in getting the day arranged.
"We all know how important it is to work together for the common good of the game, and we will always be willing to back initiatives that are going to help with the training and development of referees and match observers", said Geoff.
"It was pleasing that everyone involved felt the day was very worthwhile, and we look forward to working with Iain and his colleagues again to help arrange another similar event later in the season".
Observer event a success
Wed 18th October 2017 | General
By Ian Templeman
Referee observers from the Lancashire FA took part in a training event at the Division One game between Atherton LR and Sandbach United on Saturday 7th October.
The event was arranged in conjunction with the League Management Committee and the two clubs, and was part of a new initiative which is aimed at improving and standardising the way in which Lancashire FA referee observers - formerly known as referee assessors - carry out assessments of referees on match days.
The Lancashire FA appoint match officials and observers for the Hallmark Security League Division One games and the West Lancashire League Premier Division. The referees are marked on each game, with a mark going in from each club for each game, and the referees are assessed regularly throughout the season.
The observer event was organised in conjunction with the League by Iain Siddall, Supply League Referee Observer Officer at the Lancashire FA, and he explained the idea behind the day.
"The assessing scheme means that we have to have observers trained as consistently as possible, and we believe the best way to do that is to get a number of them together and assess the same game", he said.
"So for the Atherton LR v Sandbach United game, the game took place on the Saturday, and on the Wednesday night after the game there was a meeting at the Lancashire FA with a debriefing session around the sort of things we would recognise as good refereeing, and also focussing on areas where we could offer the referee advice.
"The core purpose of the exercise was to get a consistency within the observers, and to try and keep that consistency as much as we can, therefore it makes sense to get together and practice together at getting better in doing that.
"The game between Atherton LR and Sandbach was very competitive. The pitch was wet and soft, it was a good feisty game and in many ways it was exactly what I was looking for.
"There were eleven observers there on the day, and they came to the debriefing session on the Wednesday night when I went through the process. The referee only had contact with one of us on match day, who was the official observer for the game.
"The clubs had their input on the day, as I used the reports that the clubs submitted on the referee in the Wednesday session.
"All the observers had to complete a report on the referee and were all within one mark, which was good as it showed there wasn't any inconsistency in the way they were marking him. Going forward I am also looking for this type of exercise to be helpful in improving the quality of reports we get in from observers, and ensuring they are observing the right things that need to be improved.
"It was a successful event, and I'd like to thank everyone who helped with staging it. I'd like to do it again in March towards the end of the season, as part of preparation for the following season".
League Vice-Chairman Geoff Wilkinson headed up the initiative on behalf of the League Management Committee, and said that the League were delighted to work with the Lancashire FA in getting the day arranged.
"We all know how important it is to work together for the common good of the game, and we will always be willing to back initiatives that are going to help with the training and development of referees and match observers", said Geoff.
"It was pleasing that everyone involved felt the day was very worthwhile, and we look forward to working with Iain and his colleagues again to help arrange another similar event later in the season".
