Whilst reading through my notes and old articles I came across the following quotation which inspired me in writing this week's article.

"Referees, when at home or play, are indeed much like everyone. They are married, single, have children, hobbies, dogs, chores, jobs, good times, bad times, even taxes and death! Most referees of my acquaintance are certifiable homo sapiens, and most referees put on their uniforms the same way. Without the whistles and uniform, they look quite normal."

"But they are not. They are different. They are a breed apart and they are mysterious. The mystery is wrapped up in what referees do, how they do it and perhaps most of all, why they do it".

I would like to use this article to discuss the last sentence from the above excerpt. What do good referees do? I have just returned from a very interesting clinic in Gran Canaria where FIBA presented to us referees the latest trends in criteria and we also spoke qualities and traits of good referees.

What good referees do is that they surely do not stand around in awe of players and coaches. Referees, after all this is what I was taught to do, prepare and present themselves in such a manner that when both players and coaches see them, they know that this game will be played on a level playing field, with no advantage or disadvantage and where each team has the same opportunity for victory.

Now, there will always be certain people who are too parochial (very common in Malta) who think that a referee is biased and very recent personal experience has shown me that certain people can go to great lengths in even inventing false accusations and harming a referee.

The good referees are always welcomed back by those who know what exactly what real sport is about. This requires much more than just beginner's skill and luck. It calls for a keen insight to the respective sport refereed, as well as an additional keen insight to balance, flexibility and a strong sense of game management.

One can easily reason out that this entails a lot of hard work with a requirement to work games at all levels.

How do referees do it? Even if some disagree, referees are professionals in the modern sense of the word. We do not just work a game. We work in a craft, and as with any craft, there are lessons we must learn an apprenticeship that we must complete.

There are also secrets that we must learn from other members of the craft. Some may not believe me but the following is the truth, to do not just the things that referees do during a game and to make it look easy requires hours of practice and hundreds of games.

The best referees reach perfection in their craft and some go a lot further. A master referee (one who knows that if better is possible, then good is not enough) is like a skilled performer, moving with grace along the field of play, with perfect signals and perfect voice.

A clear example which everybody can understand is the football referee Collina who carries with him a very professional aura.

Refereeing also brings about a life of near anonymity. Most serious referees I meet locally and abroad are quite fulfilled. This is because, I believe, they think they have more than a job, more than a profession and more than a craft. They have a vocation as they feel drawn to the game they referee and sort of compelled by it.

Thus, these referees learn the craft, do the games, inhabit the profession and then feel completed by it, even if they cannot explain why. Maybe I am confusing the readers of Behind D Whistle but it is really difficult to explain these inner feelings.

In reality, not many people have this combination of drive, much less the energy and skill necessary to fuel the same drive. Refereeing is not a skill that is handed down from father to son.

Sports are no longer an exclusive male closed society. Today, referees come from all walks of life and any country. Many get their training in any of several ways. They may even play or have played the game.

However, even if referees seem to be ordinary people and no different from the average common person, they are in effect a different breed of persons.

I do not believe there can ever be a consistently bad referee. With this I am not implying that there can never be unsuitable individuals but these must be discarded as soon as possible.

At senior levels, there are average referees and good referees. One of the major differences between the two classes is in fact that the latter follow the famous (cannot be understood by the average person) and very (physically and mentally) demanding philosophical motto: if better is possible, then good is not enough, a topic I had dealt with in the past months.

Here's to wishing that our islands see more of these individuals controlling matches in various disciplines.

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