THERE'S NO 'I' IN TEAM
The title of this blog, 'The Third Team', is no accident. All too often, team sports are thought to involve 2 teams. This is not entirely true. There is a third team involved: the officials.
Top level football and rugby have at least 4 and cricket 3. How many officials will make up a team of officials for the opening game in Rio in 3 weeks? (The answer is at the end of this post.)
It's not just the players that spend lots of time practicing, preparing and focusing on their games; officials do too. The main contrast is that the players have lots of time together ahead of major events - training camps, playing for the same club team, warm up matches etc all assist in ensuring they are on the same page.
Referees on the other hand don't have that luxury.
There will be 28 referees in Rio - I will know approximately half of them and have worked a handful of games with roughly a third at other events. Does this have an adverse impact on the game?
No.
Why? You are right to wonder.
Upon arrival, all referees will have an intensive pre-tournament clinic, where points of emphasis will be discussed and video situations analysed. There will also be the all-important team building tasks so regardless of who your colleagues are on the floor come game-time, you know them and you all know what to focus on.
The key thing to ensure is that we are always on the same page and that no referee becomes the centre of attention. It is a well known mantra amongst referees that if players and coaches can't remember you or the calls you made, then you've done a good job. We should intervene but never interfere.
One of the most enjoyable aspects of refereeing at the international level is working with colleagues from all around the world, sharing stories and experiences together. We all work from the same rule book (including the comments and interpretations) and it is for this reason that we quickly find common ground. We have ONE 'playbook' whereas players might have to remember plays from their club teams AND their national teams.
And to answer the question from earlier - How many officials will make up a team of officials for the opening game in Rio in 3 weeks?
The answer is 9 or more:
3 Referees
1 Game Commissioner
1 Scorer
1 Assistant Scorer
1 Time Keeper
1 Shot Clock Operator
A panel of classifiers
So as you can see, there is certainly no 'I' in our team!
Top level football and rugby have at least 4 and cricket 3. How many officials will make up a team of officials for the opening game in Rio in 3 weeks? (The answer is at the end of this post.)
It's not just the players that spend lots of time practicing, preparing and focusing on their games; officials do too. The main contrast is that the players have lots of time together ahead of major events - training camps, playing for the same club team, warm up matches etc all assist in ensuring they are on the same page.
Referees on the other hand don't have that luxury.
There will be 28 referees in Rio - I will know approximately half of them and have worked a handful of games with roughly a third at other events. Does this have an adverse impact on the game?
No.
Why? You are right to wonder.
Upon arrival, all referees will have an intensive pre-tournament clinic, where points of emphasis will be discussed and video situations analysed. There will also be the all-important team building tasks so regardless of who your colleagues are on the floor come game-time, you know them and you all know what to focus on.
The key thing to ensure is that we are always on the same page and that no referee becomes the centre of attention. It is a well known mantra amongst referees that if players and coaches can't remember you or the calls you made, then you've done a good job. We should intervene but never interfere.
One of the most enjoyable aspects of refereeing at the international level is working with colleagues from all around the world, sharing stories and experiences together. We all work from the same rule book (including the comments and interpretations) and it is for this reason that we quickly find common ground. We have ONE 'playbook' whereas players might have to remember plays from their club teams AND their national teams.
And to answer the question from earlier - How many officials will make up a team of officials for the opening game in Rio in 3 weeks?
The answer is 9 or more:
3 Referees
1 Game Commissioner
1 Scorer
1 Assistant Scorer
1 Time Keeper
1 Shot Clock Operator
A panel of classifiers
So as you can see, there is certainly no 'I' in our team!