How to Be a Good Referee



A/ Read the Quick Tips for Referees and fill in the blanks:


eyes, appearance, confident, experience, success, rule, knowledge, energy, eat, physical


1. Your ________ is everything
2. Looking ____________ is critical.
3. _______ is the best teacher.
4. Read your _______ book whenever you can.
5. Know your rules – knowledge is the key to _______.

6. __________ + experience = confidence.
7. Make sure you are in top _______ condition.
8. Don’t run out of _______.

9. _______ properly to keep up your energy.

10. Keep your ______ on the puck.


                                                         http://www.afterthewhistle.com/en/tips.htm


Discussion point:

Which tips do you agree or disagree with?

What other tips would you add?



B/ Qualities in a good referee

Before reading, match the following word to their definitions:

1/ reliability

A/ the psychological feature that arouses an organism to action toward a desired goal; the reason
for the action; that which gives purpose and direction to behavior

2/ communication

B/ a feeling of assurance, especially of self-assurance

3/ elegance

C/ sound judgment not based on specialized knowledge; native good judgment.

4/ integrity

D/ refinement, grace, and beauty in movement, appearance, or manners

5/ common sense

E/ the exchange of thoughts, messages, or information, as by speech, signals, writing, or behaviour

6/ confidence

F/ adherence to moral principles; honesty

7/ motivation

G/ the quality of being dependable or reliable



Although refereeing calls for a certain amount of technical knowledge, there is undoubtedly an art
in becoming an outstanding referee. And the art demonstrated by a referee during the game depends
largely on his personal qualities.

One might think that the characteristics of a good referee have been defined and used extensively
as criteria for evaluating referees. But if 100 refereeing experts from different sports drew up
their lists of qualities that make a good referee and placed them in order of preference, we might
end up with 100 different lists and preferences. So we are not going to give an order of preference
for the qualities of a good judge, nor supply an exhaustive list of these essential qualities.

What we are going to do, taking into consideration the results of the latest investigations, is to
sum up those qualities that the top referees have in common.



RELIABILITY                                                    COMMUNICATION

ELEGANCE                                                     INTEGRITY

COMMON SENSE                                           CONFIDENCE

MOTIVATION



Discussion point: Give examples to illustrate the importance of each of these qualities for a good
referee.



THE FUNCTION OF THE REFEREE

The referee’s decisions are always subject to public opinion, which means that they are often
criticized and questioned in terms of errors committed. Now if the game is running smoothly, very
few people are even aware of the referee’s presence.

So how should referees judge themselves or be judged? Their main job is to ensure that the game is
being played according to the rules and regulations, and to intervene as little as possible.

Referees must feel committed to the four following responsibilities:

1. To see to it that the sporting event takes place in accordance with the rules of the game.

2. To intervene as little as possible and not make themselves the center of attention.

3. To establish and maintain a good atmosphere so as to make the event as enjoyable as possible.

4. To show an interest in the players.



Discussion point: What other responsibilities would you add?

                                 http://www.scrrs.net/download/resources/Qualities_of_a_Referee.pdf