Two youth games, 13 yellows - and no one even blinks

Games 36-37, 2019-20

"Boys, every manifestation of dissent and unsportsmanlike behaviour will be punished with a yellow card, in line with the new German FA guidelines." All four teams nod - two on Saturday (U17) and two on Sunday (U19). Neither game is especially well or especially poorly behaved. The fact I barely notice there were a total of 13 yellow cards across the two matches (two cautions for dissent, two for foul play, nine for unsportsmanlike conduct) perhaps reflects how immune I've become to the lousy sporting culture of this city.

[As an aside, in my youth I played club, schools, county and university football from 1976-1987 and can say with certainty that the number of yellow cards shown during those entire 11 years over several hundred games came nowhere close to the 13 cards I showed in two games over the course of this past weekend. Old fart's statistical rant over.]

An Amateur Referee's Guide to Communication

Games 34-35, 2019-20

"Communication is the most important aspect of refereeing." It's an old guy, leaning on the surround barrier of the field where I've just reffed. We're watching the game following mine. I don't know if he's making a general comment, or if the comment's specifically aimed at me. Either way, I spent a lot of Sunday's game talking with players, right from the moment I arrived at the club house. Here are some of the different ways that an amateur referee verbally communicates with the two teams over the course of the three hours spanning our arrival to an occasionally embittered departure.

PRE-GAME

1. Introduce yourself. On arrival seek out both coaches, shake their hands and smile. Greet players just arriving or already warming up, strike up a conversation if the chance arises. No one wants an aloof authoritarian in charge of their game. As a player, I hated refs who thought they were too good for Sunday league. Let the teams know you'd very much like their team line-ups confirmed online 30 minutes before kick-off. If they're having problems, especially before evening kick-offs when many players are rushing to arrive from work, show that you're flexible, but start to look less flexible as kick-off approaches. 

2. Make known your expectations. Chat with the players about what you expect from today's game as they line up to run out on to the field. You are naturally anticipating a fair and sporting encounter...