Last week, during a local TV programme, I was asked the popular question, “what should good referees do?”

I believe in a saying that I have encountered many times whilst researching on the art of refereeing namely that what good referees surely do not do is stand around in awe of players and coaches.

Quite often I hear different persons saying that a good referee is one who is not noticed. However, by time and through experience, I have arrived to some conclusions where this phrase might not necessarily hold true.

In certain sports, for example, boxing, the phrase will certainly be true, yet anonymity by a referee during, say, a football game, a basketball game, a waterpolo game or other similar sports can also indicate two other things, namely that either the game was extremely well-played, clean and lacking any marginal incidents and events or the referee was incompetent and whistled only the so-called ‘safe’ calls.

In the first instance referees are basically not needed as almost any referee (experienced or not, highly technical or still learning) can work out the easy games. If a game is not clean (and most are surely not clean), then the anonymous referee fails to demonstrate any form of expertise of knowledge, perception or positioning.

Referees, after all this is what I (and similarly, I tend to believe, all referees) 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. These referees are always welcomed back by those who really feel and have an acute understanding of exactly what real sports is all about.

This requires much more than just what are termed beginners’ skill and/or luck. It basically 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. Having understood this, one can easily reason out that this entails a lot of hard work with a necessary requirement to work games at all levels.

Even if some out-rightly (although most of these will change their opinion upon pondering a little more) disagree, referees are professionals in the modern sense of the word.

Those (I hope to be amongst these) who take the task seriously, do not just work a game.

As I once read in a specialised book, we work in a craft, and as with any craft, there are lessons we must learn and a level of apprenticeship that we must complete. There are also secrets that we must learn from other members of the craft.

To accomplish not just the things that referees do during a game, but to make it look easy requires hours of practice and tens of games (apart from watching hundreds of others).

The subsequent reality is that the good referees reach somewhat perfection in their craft and some, the best of the pack, even go a lot further.

Learning the refereeing craft may be hard, but to practise the same craft is harder! The rule is hard work, whilst receiving more complaints and jeers than applause.

However, despite the difficulties and occasional setbacks, most serious referees I meet locally and abroad are quite fulfilled. This is because, I believe, they think they have in front of them 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.

Referees seem to be ordinary people and no different from the average common person, however they possess a different mentality and seem to be (character-wise) a different sort of ‘breed’.

I do not believe there can ever be a consistently bad referee. At senior levels, my opinion is that there are average referees and good referees. With this I am not implying that there can never be unsuitable individuals acting as referees but these must be discarded and put on the wayside as soon as possible.

An excellent quote to conclude on this point is , “refereeing is like teaching. No matter how good you are, you cannot please everyone and every person around thinks he can do a better job.” These words finished in my ears in a workshop during one of the first international clinics I attended.

National Sports Conference 2007

Last weekend the Kunsill Malti ghall-iSport, together with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Employment, organised the National Sports Conference which was well attended along the three days.

Throughout the second day, four distinct workshops were organised, each dealing with a separate aspect of sports. The conclusions of these workshops were then presented in the final day of the conference.

It is my aim that in the coming weeks I will delve deeper into each respective workshop and share with you the main conclusions and suggestions that arose from all those present.

Having been present, I am of the opinion that the conference was a great exercise and planning tool in setting the path for an effective sports strategy for our islands.

Merry Xmas

I would like to take the opportunity to wish all readers a Merry Christmas. Special dedications go to all the regular readers and all those referees from different sports who follow this column week after week and provide much appreciated feedback. Thanks for your support.