in association with
Written by Harvey Grout
www.careers-in-sport.co.uk
Fancy a go in charge?
See what happens in a day in the life of professional soccer referee Chris Foy.
JOBS IN FOOTBALL
The Premier League is perhaps the best league in the world and we can often only marvel at the goal scoring prowess of Wayne Rooney, the goalkeeping reflexes of Joe Hart and the managerial expertise of Sir Alex Ferguson. Whilst ‘performing’ in the Premier League may remain a pipe dream for most of us there are other ways we can ‘play’ in the Premier League.
As well as the players and manager the Premier League requires coaches, sports journalists, photographers, broadcasters, match officials, physiotherapists, nutritionists and psychologists to ensure it remains the best league in the world. So if your goal scoring or goalkeeping skills are not going to be quite good enough to grace Old Trafford or Stamford Bridge then consider other careers available in the soccer industry.
In each issue we will profile a different profession and provide an insight into the experience and qualifications required to develop a successful career. Here we look at the ‘man in the middle’; the Football Referee.
Name: Chris Foy
Position: Professional Football Referee
Job Description:
A Referee is responsible in ensuring the players play within the rules of the game and that they play in a safe playing environment. They encourage players with appropriate leadership and are positive role models for the players.
A Typical Day:
More often than not I spend the night before a game in a hotel. I meet the other match officials four hours before the kick off to start our preparations. Two hours before the match starts I arrive at the ground. We have a safety briefing and then I referee the match. Following the end of the match we go through a ‘de-brief’ with all the officials to assess our own performance. Afterwards I travel back to the hotel before returning home. Later that week I receive feedback from the match assessor, whose job is to scrutinise every referee’s performance. As a professional referee we are very accountable and look to build and improve during our extensive training sessions during the week.
Advice to young people interesting in becoming a referee:
1. Ensure that you get a good broad education
2. Develop good communication skills and a willingness to listen and learn
3. You must have a love of football. Watch as many games as possible and try and learn something new from each game
4. Enrol on the Referee Level 1 course
5. Consider a degree in Sports Science, Physical Education or Psychology
To find out more;
http://www.thefa.com/GetIntoFootball/Referee
http://refworld.com/