Notwithstanding the efforts made by national associations to recruit new referees, retaining them is always a challenging task due to various factors.

The most common reasons for drop-outs are the pressure of making mistakes, the inability of finding suitable life balance between family, work and refereeing, lack of progress at the rate expected by the match official, abuse by spectators and being at the receiving end of violent incidents.  

In each of the reasons mentioned, there is a common aspect – the need to be mentally tough. 

Referees are human beings who are not necessarily tough and self-confident before they take up the whistle, and I was one of them. 

I was actually an introvert prior to becoming a referee. Refereeing made me mentally tough but there were times when I felt like giving it all up, especially in my early years as a young referee in youth and amateur football.

The experience in youth and amateur football presents referees with difficult moments that test one’s character and mental strength. The lower the level, the higher the risk of encountering players, coaches and club officials who have nothing much to lose and who test young referees with bullying tactics, especially if there is a substantial age difference.  

Unless young referees are supported by the association through the appointment of suitable mentors, who follow them in their matches to provide them with psychological support, then we will continue to have a high turnover.

Young refs require constant feedback to set objectives and improve their standard of officiating after analysing their performances.

Going over the results of a survey amongst German referees, it transpires that emotional stability is a personality trait that every referee has to possess, irrespective of the level s/he is officiating.  

Experience makes you tougher as time goes by, so perseverance plays an important part in a referee career progression. Referees who give up easily and who crack under pressure are most likely to quit refereeing one day or another.  

The first time I considered quitting had nothing to do with a football match. 

It was at the end of season 1993-94 when after a very good season I expected to be promoted from Category 2 to Category 1 as a national referee.  

In July 1994, the Malta FA had decided to promote all referees who had been in Category 2 for at least two years, as per policy laid out by the Referees’ Committee years before.

Unfortunately, I was one of only three referees who had been promoted to Category 2 in November 1992, so our experience was short of four calendar months.  

The three of us felt aggrieved by the decision because we argued that referees who had controlled less matches than us were being promoted ahead of us.  

A way of venting our frustration was to write a letter to the Referees’ Committee.  

Nothing changed but we adopted a positive attitude and were mentally tough to accept the decision and work harder to prove our worth. Perseverance played its part and eventually we were promoted to Category 1 a year later and in January 1997 the three of us made it to the FIFA List.

A presentation by Malta FA sport psychologist Adele Muscat at a referees’ winter seminar in February 2015 highlighted commitment, communication, concentration, control and confidence as the 5 Cs which help referees develop greater resilience in tough situations.  

Other psychological skills mentioned by Muscat for referees to become mentally tougher were positive self-talk, cognitive restructuring, goal-setting, visualisation, relaxation exercises, pre-performance routines, team building and communication skills’ exercises.

Throughout a 20-year-old refereeing career, experience made me mentally tougher.  

Whenever I failed, I was determined to try harder. I always believed that with more effort I could achieve more and I enjoyed the privilege of being supported by senior match officials and former referees who enabled me to keep believing in myself whenever I felt disheartened.

Refereeing is similar to life – it provides happy and sad experiences.  I have seen it all, however I humbly feel that my achievements outweigh the difficult episodes I have experienced.  Refereeing is a life of sacrifice and commitment, but it is all worth it at the end.  It is indeed a rewarding experience.  

I had my downfalls too (more than a few) but they were all learning experiences that made me mentally tougher, ready for the next challenge.  

I learnt not to focus on the obstacles that at times restrained me from reaching my goals, but to visualise on what I wanted to achieve.

Perseverance is indeed a crucial aspect of successful refereeing.

 

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