Referee and coach in Australian rules football

Being a manager can be a very emotional experience as you watch your team develop and strive to succeed only to see “dubious” (in your opinion) free throws awarded or fouls against your team go unnoticed or ignored. As a coach, he may be tempted to comment out loud on the referee’s performance during the match. This does not improve the referee’s performance, but simply takes his mind off his job as a coach and draws his players’ attention to the referee instead of playing his role on the team.
It is not his job to referee the game. Your job is to train.
A coach will become a better coach when the coach learns to officiate games. Then the coach will notice how quickly decisions need to be made and how easy it is to overlook infractions. Refereeing will show the coach not only the physical stress of refereeing, but also the mental stress inherent in this activity. He will gain an appreciation of the referee’s role that will allow him to observe his team’s performance and not be distracted by the referee’s performance. The coach will also be able to teach his players how to best play within the rules of the game and how the referee interprets the rules of the game.
Below are ideas that a coach, new or experienced, should consider in an effort to improve their coaching performance and their understanding of officiating. He/she must work to achieve a good working relationship with the referees.
This is what I would suggest to a trainer.
• Take a level 1 arbitration course.
• Take accredited coaching courses that contain refereeing data, as well as discussions about the rules of the game and, of course, soccer coaching ideas.
• If you haven’t played the game yourself, then join a team at your club and see the rules at work, first hand.
• Watch the games on television from the refereeing point of view; Hear commentary from commentators on the referees’ decisions to better understand how the rules are being interpreted.
• Observe the position of the field referees.
• Obtain and read the rule book, particularly where rule interpretations are explained.
• Referee practice games with their players. Explain why free throws are given. Use the signals the referees use and talk to the players about what they can do within the rules.
• Practice basic refereeing plays with your team, eg explain the rules regarding ruck work, throw-ins; fullback kicks, keeping the mark, when play on is declared; and when it is called advantage.
• Wear white as a referee at your scrimmages at intra-club games or social games against local clubs.
• Officiating gives the coach an on-the-spot view of what is happening. You can train on the go, offering advice to both teams. You can make changes of position, etc. in the race.
• Using a two-umpire system with the other team’s coach both adopting a coaching mode.
• Use a proper referee whistle.
• Remember that referees should not penalize what they cannot see, even if they suspect a rule has been broken.
Regarding the players and the referee:
• Teach your players to be boundary and goal officials. With larger groups, allow players to referee portions of practice games. This will help them understand that refereeing is not easy, but requires great concentration and physical fitness.
• The rule book will explain how the goal and boundary officials should do their job.
• Acknowledge to your players that referees will often make “Play On” calls when the team against which the offense was committed already had the lead and would lose that lead if given a free kick. (The “Carry on the game” call often acknowledges that the rules were broken.) So teach the players to play to the whistle and not referee the game themselves, but just play the game.
• Teach your players to accept the referee’s decision even if they think it is wrong. Remind them that the game will not take place if there are no referees.
Some final comments:
• As a coach, it is your job to coach, not to referee the game. If you openly criticize the referees in front of the players, they will lose respect for the referee and for you as a coach.
• Finally, if you are asked to comment on a young referee’s performance, look for ways to encourage that person and point out areas that need improvement along with tips on how this can happen. Don’t just write or give reports about the referees whose actions you thought caused the loss of your team.