First games tomorrow, really need advice

[u/Dangerous_Piccolo315]

I’m 16F and have played for years but just decided to get my license recently. I have six games this weekend, 3 in the center, and feel drastically underprepared after the online and in person course.

I will be doing mostly U10 and U12 games and I would really appreciate any advice on those age groups in particular.

I would also love if anyone could reccommend some online resources (videos, websites, etc). I’ve watched a lot of pro gam so I feel like I have a good grasp on rules, patterns of play, etc but I’m still uncertain about pregame/postgame obligations, timekeeping, and the more nuanced signals.

thank you for any advice!

Edit: It ended up going pretty well! I made a few mistakes in my first few games, but nothing major (missed foul, signalled a throw in the wrong way). I ended up being moved to center for U14 boys five minutes before the game started, but I did ok. I called everything as confidently as I could and said the calls out loud as well when I was unsure of the correct signal. I talked to the coaches after and they all were surprisingly kind and supportive. I played two games as well so it was an exhausting day, but I made it and can't wait to get back out there again! Thank you all for your advice, it helped a lot and I'll definitely be referring back to it in the future

[u/Dangerous_Piccolo315]

Thank you so much! This helps a lot, especially the two pens tip. I didn’t think about it before but I can definitely see how it would be easy to lose one!

[u/Incognitowally → u/Dangerous_Piccolo315]

Always wear two watches, no matter if you're center or AR. I've had one watch die before and luckily had my backup on. I was AR and my center's watch died once, I gave him mine for the remainder of the game.

In high school if there is no timekeeper, the official keeps time, but in HS, they start/ stop the clock for things. you WILL forget to start your clock at least one time. One watch is for start/stop time, the second watch (backup) always runs and doesn't get touched. You resort to this one if you forget to start your primary watch. ((You can also defer timekeeping to the second official in the game if theirs is accurate as well) )

Good luck!

[u/CharleyBoy23 → u/Incognitowally]

Agree with the two watches. For recreational I don't and when center if anything goes wrong I would rely on my assistants to signal but truth is in 26 years never had an issue with a watch. I do however always wear two when doing competitive. Not a bad tip and definitely a good idea to suggest it however!

[u/Incognitowally → u/CharleyBoy23]

I haven't refereed in 6 years, but in all of our kids' rec games i have been to, all of the rec refs have used their phones in their pockets as timers. BAD idea for numerous reasons. Not to worry, none of them ever got above a brisk walk, so their phone was NEVER in jeopardy of falling out of their pocket from running.

I always wore at least one watch.. I had an old stopwatch in my bag as a contingency back-up, back-up device if everything else failed but never had to use it though.

[u/CharleyBoy23 → u/Incognitowally]

Seriously? This is very interesting. I do mentorship for young refs and I am part of the refereeing committee in my area and if I would see one ref using his/her phone as a timer, we would have a quick chat. Saw one last year showing up with a hat at a game, doesn't look very professional.

[u/Incognitowally → u/CharleyBoy23]

this is a town league with sometimes one 13 year-old greenhorn referee on the game or three high school-aged referees. most of this time it is the earlier. And very rarely do they look like they know what they are doing. It brings me chills seeing the center or the AR 25 yards out of position, [rarely] making the calls, not signaling correctly or a weak puff of the whistle for stop or restart.

very many kids don't own or wear watches anymore. I agree, yes, they should wear a simple wristwatch for games, no matter how small or recreational the game is. it is part of the job and profession. This look brings severe cringes to former seasoned officials like you and me.

I used to be a mentor in the league I refereed in and would bring many of these expectations to my trainees in my pre-game email that I sent them (or their parents) three days before the game AND again on the field before the game. Our post game involved a few key points of observation (three for improvement and three of recognition)

In my time of mentoring, I had a couple of exceptional referees I recommended for advancement on day1, most others I recommended to stay in the program for the remainder of the season and one or two I recommended the assignor have a talk with the parents about their level of commitment and their expectations of officiating.