DOCSLIB.ORG

Flag & Whistle

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Flag & Whistle FLAG & WHI STL E Official Newletter of the BC Soccer Referees Association • Dec. 2014 BC Referee attends Couple of Referees’ Meetings in the German Province of Lower Saxony Ingo Dependahl (left), President Referees Association of Landkreis Osnabruck (NFV) shows BCSRA’s banner. Inset: Dieter Freundt of the VASRA gives Banner to Ingo. See page 6 for article. Head Referees Meeting a Success! On November 11th the BCSRA education & mentoring, referee meeting related video clips. The two hours went Executive brought Head Referees together tips (how to get referees out, keep it fun, too quickly, and there was limited time for to share ideas about how to meet the chal- and keep them coming), BCSA’s planned informal sharing of ideas, but there was a lenges of on-going referee development. program, and the importance of the sched- valuable exchange among the partici- In spite of a number of soccer tourna- uler in referee development. pants. ments scheduled for the same day, 14 The 2nd half of the meeting was Feedback from attendees confirmed that Head Referees, two Referee Development devoted to sharing and explaining educa- the meeting was well received and that Officers, BC Soccer’s Referee Develop- tional materials developed by the BCSRA. Head Referees value opportunities to get ment Co-ordinator and five BCSRA Each attendee was given a USB stick and together to discuss common challenges. Executive members made their way to DVD loaded with educational materials. Head Referees who were unable to Vancouver to attend the meeting. Bill McNaughton, VP of BCSRA attend and who are interested in getting The first half of the meeting covered showed everyone how to access the con- copies of the materials can contact: the topics such as the importance of on-going tent and present the PowerPoints and the BCSRA: email. [email protected] Art Bandenieks (Head Referee of Aldergrove Soccer Association) addresses the Participants. Inset: Jose Branco, BC Soccer Referee Development Coordinator 2nd from left. Positions Up For Election On Vancouver Area Branch (VASRA) Executive Four positions will be voted on at the Joe Ciresi to run can approach any member of Vancouver Area Branch’s Annual General [email protected] or 604-431-9507 the nominating committee to express a Meeting on Monday, January 26, 2015. wish to run for a position. A nomination committee has been Dominic Pace Nominations will also be accepted from formed to find individuals to run for the [email protected] or 604-299-0024 the floor at the meeting. following positions: President, 2nd Vice- The VASRA Annual General Meeting President, Secretary and Director. All Ron Schaeffer will be held at the Bonsor Community positions are two year terms. The nomi- [email protected] Center in Burnaby (South Burnaby Metro nating committee is comprised of: or 604-922-6628 Club Room) starting at 7:00 pm January 26th, 2015. Elvio Chies Although these gentlemen will be Members signed up as of that day are [email protected] or 604-266-0741 searching for individuals, anyone wishing eligible to both vote and run for a position. 2 FLAG & WHISTLE – December 2014 issue Women’s World Cup Draw: 6 Months and Counting It was fitting that on the field adjacent to Canada, after waiting agonizing minutes Jerome Valcke during the draw, unusual the Hillcrest Community Center, a girl’s for the pre-draw festivities to finish, the to see in a highly choreographed event match was being played. For inside the moment everyone had waited for began. such as this, only added to the excite- Center, the Local Organizing Committee The drawing of teams finally put the ment. for the Women’s Women’s World Cup had event center stage, and not without drama. And with that, the race for the Cup has arranged for a viewing party to witness the A mistake by FIFA General Secretary officially begun. draw for next year’s quadrennial event. In keeping with the spirit of Christmas, the weather outside was frightful. Well, west coast style pouring rain and wind. Thoughts On The World Cup Draw Inside, the mood was so delightful – antic- ipation of not only who Canada would Ed note: With the results of the Draw bring in the same for the women. It would play but also which teams fans in Vancouver now in, we asked members of the F&W only be fair. would get to see. Staff to weigh in on how the draw went. I’m not well versed in the world ranking “The Women’s World Cup Draw on so I won’t give you wise insight into December 6 was an exciting time and the Elvio Chies, the draw. But I will say that with their officially viewing party in Vancouver was F&W Editor player development program being light a great event,” said Jose Branco Referee While everyone years ahead of most, the Germans will be Development Coordinator for BC Soccer talks about the hard to beat. who was on hand for the viewing with his USA, Aus tralia, daughter. “Vancouver will get to host Sweden, Nigeria Emil Udovich, Switzerland, Cameroon, Ecuador and group being the F&W Research the reigning World Champions Japan. “Group of Death,” Assistant But the city will also see a match nobody mentions Canada has between USA and Nigeria which will the “mini-Group of drawn a difficult definitely make for some amazing group Elvio Chies Death” in Moncton: group. I believe that stage matches.” France, England. they will have a Approximately two hundred people got Mexico, Columbia. difficult time ad - up early on Saturday, December 6th- six This is sure to cause a few interesting vancing to the next months to the day of the opening match- to moments during the group stage. round. witness the draw which was broadcast Although many will feel disappointed Emil Udovich Based on their from Ottawa on TSN. with Japan being seeded in Vancouver, recent perform- On hand were members of Canada’s despite being the reigning world champi- ances, we may not even see them play Women’s National Team, sans Christine ons, in retrospect it makes sense. at BC place stadium at all. Sinclair who was in Ottawa for the event. A large part of the tournament is getting After watching CSA President and people to games and Vancouver is a big Dieter Freundt, former BC Soccer President Victor attraction for Japanese tourists. They will F&W lay-out Montagliani welcome the world to come for the two times they play here. As Having watched will everyone from Seattle for the USA- Germany play Can- Nigeria match. ada earlier this year, FLA G & WHISTL E is published 6 times I don’t consider the a year by the BC Soccer Referees Tom Babic, side the favourite to Association. The material presented F&W Staff Writer take the hardware is from contributors. The BCSRA I don’t have too home. That distinc- assumes no responsibility for its content. much to say about tion belongs to ... the Women’s World France. Yes, you Dieter Freundt Editor:Elvio Chies Cup. read it here. They Staff Writer: Tom Babic The game is very defeated the German squad few months Research Emil Udovich, simple at its roots. ago 2:0 in a friendly. It is not so much the Mynor Campos But for some reason result but how they did it. Lay-out and Typesetting FIFA continues to This leads me to refer to the groups. Tom Babic Dieter Freundt complicate things Contrary what Elvio wants you to believe, when they can and his “mini-group of death – Group F” must should be simple. This is taking away from be considered together with Group B the Letters to the editor are welcome the build up to what is a pinnacle moment weakest one. and should be directed by email to: [email protected] or [email protected] in the players’ careers. They have spent As the top 2 teams of each group and the or by mail to: years to get to the ultimate tournament. four best 3rd-place teams qualify for For it to be anything less due to tech- the next round, my prediction is – group BC Soccer Referees Association nical issues is sad commentary. I can only finish in this order: Canada, Netherlands; c/o 8130 Selkirk Street say, if they can bring in real grass to a Germany, Norway; Japan, Switzerland; Vancouver, BC, V6P 4H7 temporary facility like Empire Stadium Sweden, USA; Brazil, Spain; France, for an exhibition match between Man Mexico. 3rd place teams: China, Nigeria, City and the Whitecaps – then they can Korea, England. December 2014 issue – FLAG & WHISTLE 3 GROUPS AT 2015 WOMEN’S WORLD CUP These are the six groups and its order of finish as forecast by Dieter Freundt. The four Countries in bold italic type will also qualify as they have the best third place finish record. However, Ivory Coast might just eke out Nigeria, because the former will trounce Thailand and end up with the better goal difference. Group A Group B Group C Group D Group E Group F Canada Germany Japan Sweden Brazil France Netherlands Norway Switzerland USA Spain Mexico China PR Ivory Coast Cameroon Nigeria Korea Republic England New Zealand Thailand Equador Australia Costa Rica Colombia Christmas Wish List So what exactly went wrong during the Draw? Flag & Whistle Style? Ed note: Jonathan Cohen, a referee group further to Group F, while Korea Ed note: The F&W staff have been very friend of F&W Editor Elvio Chies living Republic was then allocated to the spot good this year.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Field Regulations
    2016 USL REFEREE MANUAL 2016 USL Referee Manual Table of Contents Contact Information .............................................................................................................................................. 1 Rules of Competition ............................................................................................................................................. 3 Stadium and Playing Field ..................................................................................................................................... 4 Uniforms ................................................................................................................................................................. 6 Game Preparation & Presentation ........................................................................................................................ 7 Delays, Weather, Emergencies, and Injuries...................................................................................................... 12 Injured Player Removal Policy ........................................................................................................................... 14 Misconduct and Send-Off Classifications ........................................................................................................... 16 Match Misconduct ............................................................................................................................................... 18 USL Scrimmage & Exhibition Expense Guidelines ...........................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • The Voice of the RA
    The official publication of The Referees’ Association The Voice The Referees’ Association 1c Bagshaw Close Ryton on Dunsmore of The RA Warwickshire CV8 3EX Supporting Referees Tel: 02476 420360 November to Email: [email protected] since 1908 Web: www.the-ra.org December 2016 Development Hubs Supporting the National Curriculum The RA is working proactively with The FA in the delivery of the National Curriculum via over 20 of its LRAs, with others now requesting to also be part of this drive. The first sequence of events have been held during November and December, with future events being planned early in the New Year. This is a developing scheme, and we will be working with The FA to gather the feedback. We may however be inviting several CRAs to aid the process of development, as there will be operational requirements needed to ensure a full and successful delivery. The initial feedback has been extremely positive, particularly in respect of previous members re-joining The RA, as we are delivering something which now aids educational benefits to ALL referees. This whole exercise would not have worked without the flexibility of LRAs in moving meeting dates, changing locations and organising local marketing. We are very grateful also to the RDOs and tutors who have supported The RA in achieving a highly successful first pilot. However this doesn’t come without a lot of hard effort via our excellent working relationship with The FA team of Danny Meeson and Richard Glynne-Jones, plus RA Board Member Vince Penfold. The RA is very grateful for The FA’s support for this training in respect of both materials and financial backing.
    [Show full text]
  • September 2010
    PATRON:- Pam Wells 01483 833394 PRESIDENT:- Peter Guest :- 01483 771649 CHAIRMAN Vince Penfold VICE-CHAIRMAN:- Rick Green SECRETARY Roy Butler 07747 800687 TREASURER 01483 423808 & MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY:- Bryan Jackson 1 Woodstock Grove, Godalming, Surrey, GU7 2AX TRAINING OFFICER:- Corin Readett SUPPLIES OFFICERS: - Tony Price 01483 836388 / 07766 973304 R.A.. DELEGATES :- Brian Reader 01483 480651 Roy Butler WARBLER Editor :- Mac McBirnie, 16 Robins Dale 01483 835717 / 07770 643229 Knaphill Woking Surrey GU21 2LQ [email protected] COMMITTEE:- Derek Stovold LIFE MEMBERS :- David Cooper Gareth Heighes Cedge Gregory Chis Cook Chris Jones Meril Readett Ken Chivers Colin Barnett Neil Collins Friends of Woking Referees Society - Roy Lomax INSIDE THIS MONTH’S WARBLER Page 1: Agenda Page 2 : From the Chair Page 3 : Membership update Page 4 : Mac’s Musings Page 5 : The Perfect Referee Page 6/7 : Respect—Cyril West Page 8 : Target Setting—Jim de Rennes Page 9: Different Ball Game for Referees Page 11 : Journos get into Refereeing Page 12 : Message from our Secretary Page 13 / 14 : Murphy’s Meanderings Page 15 : Membership Application Form Page 16/17/18 : England World Cup—Len Randall Reminisces Page 19 : Dates for your diary Page 20 : Jeff Pettit—a profile Page 20/21 : Steve Bruce kicks off Page 23 : Plum Tree Page 26 /27 : What would you do Answers ( May ) / What would you do? The Warbler The Magazine of the Woking Referees‘ Society Meadow Sports Football Club Loop Road Playing Fields, Loop Road, Kingfield, Woking, Surrey, GU22 9BQ 7.30pm for
    [Show full text]
  • 22 October 2011 Opposition: Norwich City Competition
    Date: 22 October 2011 Sunday Times Times Guardian Telegraph October 22 2011 Opposition: Norwich City Mail on Sunday Independent Mirror Echo Competition: League Observer Sun Independent Sunday Mirror Sun Telegraph Norwich deserved a point for their industry and organisation, and grabbed an Finishing touch eludes Liverpool equaliser through the head of Grant Holt, a substitute, after an hour. Pepe Reina Liverpool 1 then saved another goalbound header by Holt, while the "Ruddy for England" Bellamy 45+1 bandwagon gained more horsepower in injury time when the goalkeeper made a Norwich City 1 superb stop from Suarez. Holt 60 Given that Andy Carroll came off the bench and flashed a header wide, this was a Referee: P Walton Attendance: 44,931 day when a [pounds sterling]35 million England striker was outshone by a former How far should we value creativity without productivity? Specifically, how much tyre-fitter who rose from non-League and cost Norwich [pounds sterling]400,000 blame do Liverpool deserve for failing to convert their chances on Saturday and from Shrewsbury Town. how much praise do they merit for creating so many opportunities in the first None of the Norwich starting XI had Premier League experience before this place? Liverpool had 29 attempts on goal against Norwich City and would have season. "They are not lower-league players now," Paul Lambert, the Norwich scored a few but for slapdash finishing, outstanding goalkeeping from John manager, said. "They were two years ago but they are not now. They have to Ruddy, a little misfortune and some questionable refereeing.
    [Show full text]
  • October 2020
    @WokingRA Woking Referees Society wokingrefereessociety Chairman President Andy Bennett 07538 714747 Vince Penfold Vice Chairman Life Vice Presidents Colin Barnett Roy Butler; Ken Chivers ; Neil Collins David Cooper; Peter Guest ; Chris Jones, Treasurer and Membership Secretary Secretary Anthony (Mac) McBirnie Bryan Jackson 01483 423808 01483 835717 / 07770 643229 1 Woodstock Grove, Godalming, Surrey, GU7 2AX [email protected] Training Officer Editor : The Warbler Pat Bakhuizen 07834 963821 Mac McBirnie, [email protected] 07770 643229 Welfare Officer Supplies Officer Gareth Heighes Gareth Heighes [email protected] 07707118446 [email protected] 07707118446 R.A Delegates Committee Brian Reader 01483 480651 Chris Busby ; Jonty Bolland ;Callum Peter Tony Loveridge Martin Read ; Paul Saunders ; Will Siegmund Friends of Woking Referees Society Roy Lomax ; Andy Dexter; Tom Jackson ; Mick Lawrence ; Lee Peter ; Jim D’Rennes : Eamonn Smith Affiliate Member Ian Ransom INSIDE THIS MONTH’S WARBLER Page 3: Agenda Page 4/5: Chairman’s Chatter / Benno’s Brain Bafflers part 1 Page 6.: Membership & Accounts / Just a Sec Page 7 : Benno’s Brain Bafflers part 2 Page 8 : Mac’s Musings Page 9 : Plum tree / Dates for Your Diary Page 10/11 : Last Month’s Meeting Page 12/13 : Refereeing in Days Gone By : Dick Sawden Smith Page 14 : Adie’s Big Brown Bin Page 15/16/17 Not Your Average Sunday Game : Andy Bennett Page 18/19. The Gentle Art of Reprimanding : David Allen Page 20/21 : Is Mike Dean an Arrogant Fool ? Martin Samuel, Daily Mail. Page 22/23 : Willie The Red Card Ref - Over the Hill Page 26/27/28 : Effective Communication is Key Page 28 : Answers to Benno’s Brain Bafflers / Pictures of Wembley Page 29 : Murphy’s Meanderings The Warbler The Magazine of the Woking Referees’ Society The October Meeting will once again be conducted via Zoom commencing at 8pm Our Guest Speaker is Tony Dean Chairman of North Berks Referees Association and FA Affiliated Referees’ Tutor.
    [Show full text]
  • FLAG & WHISTLE BC Soccer Appoints Nine Referee Development Officers
    FLAG & WHI STL E Official Newletter of the BC Soccer Referees Association • Dec. 2013 BC Soccer appoints nine Referee Development Officers BC Soccer set to launch Grassroots Referee Development Program as appeared on BC Soccer website BC Soccer is set for the January launch ART BANDENIEKS of referees, of their Grassroots Referee Development Lower Mailand Zone 2 • Supply timely and relevant reporting Program about the referees to BC Soccer and the with the recent appointment DAN VILLAGE SR. of nine Referee Development Officers. Referee Committee via the Referee Lower Mailand Zone3 They are: Antonio Hurtado-Coll, Development Coordinator. Shannon Mazerreeuw, Art Bandenieks, NEIL FARBER The province has been divided into geo­ Dan Village Sr., Harry Sommerfeld, Thompson graphic regions. A Referee Development Ken Sookero, Terry Carter, Neil SHANNON MAZEREEUW Officer will be appointed to assist Head Farber, Mark McNally-Dawes. Okanagan Referees, Referee Mentors, and Referee “We are excited to have appointed Schedulers in each region. This group will these nine Referee Development Officers TERRY CARTER be led by and report to the Referee and look forward to launching the pro­ North Development Coordinator. gram in January,” said Jose Branco, BC KEN SOOKERO The learning environment of the Soccer Referee Coordinator. Kootenay Grassroots Referee Development Program “The program is designed to help create is one that is fun, challenging, and educa­ HARRY SOMMERFELD a solid foundation for new and established tional. These environments allow opportu­ Upper Island referees and we feel that these nine Referee nities for registered and potentially new Development Officers will do Mark McNally-Dawes referees to develop a passion and love for an incred ible job of this by working Lower Island refereeing while being supported by their with head referees, mentors, schedulers Head Referee, Head Mentors, Schedulers and by facilitating workshops across the Grassroots Program Outline and their local club/organization.
    [Show full text]
  • The Soldiers' Game
    www.armyfa.com THE SOLDIERS’ GAME THE MAGAZINE OF THE ARMY FA FOOTBALL iSSUE 5 - MARCH 2010 COVER STORY: Help for Heroes game at Wembley ALSO FEATURING: The day we really did ‘Live the Dream’ Taking penalty kicks under pressure South Africa here we come The FA pull-out magazine Offi cial Partners A REVOLUTION IN PORTABLE FOOTBALL GOALS A safe infl atable Available portable goal – from all a revolutionary good sports retailers idea taking the football world by storm. Peter Shilton MBE, OBE The Redyset team is made up of those who are passionate about their product and also football! Please contact the offi ce on 0844 800 8530 for further information about products or email: [email protected] www. .com THE SOLDIERS’ GAME ISSUE 5 3 COUNTY CONTENTS STAFF TAKING PENALTY KICKS UNDER PRESSURE 4 Secretary SOUTH AFRICA HERE WE COME 7 Maj WTE Thomson THE DAY WE REALLY DID ‘LIVE THE DREAM’ 8 [email protected] Tel: (Civil) 01252 348571 THE FA PULL-OUT MAGAZINE 9 Tel: (Mil) 94222 3571 SO HOW ARE WE GETTING ON? 10 Deputy Secretary and Referees Secretary WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? 12 Mr Graham Brookland THE FOOTBALL MISSIONARIES 16 [email protected] Tel: (Civil) 01252 348574 REME TOUR TO LOS ANGELES 18 Tel: (ATN) 94222 3574 CELEBRITY HELP for HEROES CHARITY GAME 20 Discipline and Registration Secretary Mrs Sue Clarke [email protected] Tel: (Civil) 01252 348574 Tel: (ATN) 94222 3574 THE ARMY FA WELCOME Coaching and Development Officer Steve Stone Welcome to the fifth edition of The Soldiers’ Game.
    [Show full text]
  • The Big Drogs All Set for Battle of the Bridge
    SEASON 2010/2011 ISSUE Seven Barclays premier league Barclays premier league Barclays premier league race for The golDen BooT race for The golDen glove sTaTisTics 2010/11 Player (Team) Goals Player (Team) Clean Sheets The Player With The Most........ Florent Malouda (Chelsea) 6 Joe Hart (Man City) 4 Shots On Target Dimitar Berbatov (Man Utd) 6 Petr Cech (Chelsea) 4 Dimitar Berbatov (Man Utd) 17 Didier Drogba (Chelsea) 5 Ben Foster (Birmingham) 2 Shots Off Target Darren Bent (Sunderland) 5 Ali Al Habsi (Wigan) 2 Michael Essien (Chelsea), Luis Nani (Man Utd) 12 Andrew Carroll (Newcastle) 4 Brad Friedel (Aston Villa) 2 Shots Without Scoring Victor Obinna (West Ham) 18 Shots Per Goal The big Drogs all set for Hugo Rodallega (Wigan) 25 Assists Luis Nani (Man Utd) 6 battle of the Bridge Offsides C Jerome (Birmingham), D Berbatov (Man Utd) 11 helsea's march to a at home to Bolton, while West second successive Ham know that another home Fouls CBarclays Premier League win over Fulham will lift them Kevin Davies (Bolton) 24 title was rudely interrupted by away from the foot of the Fouls Without A Card Manchester City last weekend table. P Evra (Man Utd), N Kalinic (Blackburn) 13 and Carlo Ancelotti's men face Manchester United failed another stern test on Sunday to take advantage of the slip- Free-Kicks Won when they host Arsenal at ups suffered by Chelsea and Steven Pienaar (Everton) 22 Stamford Bridge. Arsenal last week and face a Penalties Scored Much had been made of tough fixture at Sunderland. Darren Bent (Sunderland) 3 Chelsea's apparent easy start Steve Bruce has forged a Goals Scored Direct From Free-Kicks to the season which saw them side who are difficult to beat win their first five games at an at the Stadium of Light and Five players 1 aggregate score of 21-1 but in Darren Bent they possess Saves Made already struck five times in Carlos Tevez's goal was enough one of the division's most lethal Matthew Gilks (Blackpool) 49 to end that run at Eastlands.
    [Show full text]
  • November 2013
    @ WokingRA PATRON PRESIDENT Pam Wells : 01483 833394 Peter Guest : 01483 771649 Chairman Life Vice Presidents Barry Rowland David Cooper, Cedge Gregory, Chris Jones, Ken Chivers , Neil Collins Vice—Chairman Secretary Colin Barnett Patric Bakhuizen Treasurer and Membership Secretary Editor : The Warbler Bryan Jackson 01483 423808 Mac McBirnie, 01483 835717 / 07770 643229 1 Woodstock Grove, Godalming, Surrey, GU7 2AX [email protected] Training Officer Supplies Officer Vince Penfold Tony Price 01483 836388 / 07722 795637 R.A Delegates Committee Brian Reader 01483 480651 Gareth Heighes, Tom Ellsmore, Roy Butler 07747 800687 Rachel Marlow, Andy Bennett, Martin Read, Dave Lawton, Merill Readett Friends of Woking Referees Society Roy Lomax ; Andy Dexter; Pam Wells ; Tom Jackson ; Mick Lawrence Affiliate Members INSIDE THIS MONTH’S WARBLER Page 1: Agenda Page 2 : Chairman’s Chat, Accounts /Membership Page 3 : Mac’s Musings Page 4 : Letters to the Editor Page 5 : Things that Wind Me Up ; Paul Gorringe Page 6: Smiffy’s Appeal Page 7: Charles, Harry, Billy and Me ; WOKram Page 8 : Murphy’s Meanderings Page 10/11 : Mark Halsey Page 12/13 :The Adventures of Willy the Whistler Page 14/15 : The Referee via Tony Murphy Page 16 /17 : SCRA Delegates Report : Brian Reader Page 18 : Adie Goes Through the Motions : Adie Freeman Page 20 : This Month’s Speaker : Jim de Rennes Page 21: Plum Tree / Dates for your Diary Page 22 : Penalty Shoot out record / The Bootiful Game : Brian Richardson Page 23 : Pat’s getting Waxed Appeal Page 27/28 : What would you do
    [Show full text]
  • Draw in Montreux Transitional Season for the Under-21S Anti-Racism
    3.06 Including Draw in Montreux 03 Transitional season for the Under-21s 07 Anti-racism conference in Barcelona 10 European Club Forum 14 No 47 – March 2006 No 47 – March COVER IN THIS ISSUE Eleven questions for Mathieu Sprengers 09 The town of Montreux was decked out in the colours of EURO 2008 EURO 2008 qualifying draw 03 Second anti-racism conference 10 on 27 January to welcome the draw Tight schedule European Club Forum meets in Nyon 14 for the 2006–2008 European Foot- for the Under-21s 07 ball Championship qualifying competition. Referees prepare in Barcelona 08 News from member associations 16 PHOTO: UEFA-BOZZANI Don’tEditorial ruin the dream In itself, there is nothing very exciting about a draw: a few balls shuffled around and knocked together before being opened to divide the contestants into the different groups – and it’s all over in a matter of minutes! Draws for major competitions have, however, become keenly awaited events that are followed by millions of TV viewers, and the draw for the EURO 2008 qualifying competi- tion made in Montreux at the end of January was no excep- tion, drumming up all the excitement and anticipation that are part of such proceedings nowadays. The excitement that a draw generates is, of course, in proportion to the importance of the competition it relates to, but any ceremony of this kind is a special occasion, irrespective of the magnitude of the competition in question. For it is the only moment in the competition when everyone can dream: you know the name of your opponents but, whatever their reputation, nothing prevents you from dreaming of great exploits and believing in miracles – even if such miracles are unlikely in the harsh daylight of the competition.
    [Show full text]
  • Elite Association Football Referee Training and Officiating: a Comparative Analysis of Refereeing Practices in Three European Leagues
    Elite Association Football Referee Training and Officiating: A Comparative Analysis of Refereeing Practices in Three European Leagues Thomas Webb ‘The thesis is submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy of the University of Portsmouth.’ November 2014 Abstract Association Football referees have been an under researched subject within the social sciences. Association Football more generally, has been researched more extensively, whereas ‘the referee’ has been the subject of research in the natural sciences, most notably in physiology and psychology. As a result of this lack of attention from social scientists little is known about elite referees, their historical evolution, development pathways and structures, training, match preparation and performance. This PhD thesis offers a comparative analysis of elite refereeing in three countries namely England, Spain and Italy. The thesis provides a comparative analysis of elite refereeing in the domestic leagues identified, as well as UEFA and FIFA and offers a detailed series of recommendations, designed to inform, develop and improve elite refereeing in European and world football. Initially the thesis utilises an historical approach in order to outline and analyse the inception and early development of refereeing prior to the codification of Association Football in 1863, paying particular attention to referee training, assessment and support until the modern day. Empirical research is also employed in the form of semi-structured interviews with elite referees and those involved with the management, administration and training of these referees. The cultural differences that exist between the leagues, players, fans and media that operate within those leagues are considered as is the impact of UEFA and FIFA and the focus on standardisation and uniformity across domestic countries, principally driven by UEFA and FIFA.
    [Show full text]
  • Communique 17
    Q&A with Alex Horne, Managing Director, Wembley Stadium How does and can be seen for miles, especially when the new illuminated at night. Wembley compare to The new stadium has already become a the old landmark for London and will become an stadium? important and iconic symbol in world sport. Wembley has What can we expect from the always been new Wembley? How important is it to have the new a very special place but now it has also been Wembley open? re-built into a world class stadium. It is a huge and very impressive stadium yet it still feels very intimate. Many of the It is now seven years since the old stadium When designing the new stadium, we felt players who have visited the new stadium hosted its last game and closed its famous it was important to stay true to Wembley’s have commented on how close the doors. Wembley is now ready to stage world unique heritage by retaining as many of the spectators feel to the pitch and how it class events and welcome sports and music much-loved features of the old stadium as still has the same magic about it as the old fans back. It is very important that this country possible, like the royal box and Wembley’s stadium. The FA Cup Final will be a fantastic once again has a national stadium famous trophy presentation route which is opening event followed by England’s first of which it can be proud and that will once now 107 steps instead of the 37 steps in the game at the new stadium against none other again be revered around the world.
    [Show full text]