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REFEREES |
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When Steve Met
Steve !
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A few weeks ago you may
have heard our very own Referee Development Officer, Steve Rhodes
talking on
BBC Radio
Leeds
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As a guest on Steve Bailey’s
‘Big Drive Home’, our Steve was there to highlight the
nationwide lack of referees in football and how The FA is trying to
combat the problem. He also highlighted the particular shortage of
officials in the
Huddersfield
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| Here’s how he got on |
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Steve Bailey (Left) with Steve Rhodes at BBC Radio
Leeds
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| Steve Bailey: “Just how bad is the abuse that
referees get ?" |
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| Steve Rhodes: “I
suppose there are isolated incidents that get over exaggerated but
unfortunately these things do happen and happen quite regularly.
Working in the County FA office obviously I see the number of pink
forms that come in when these people have been sent off each weekend
and of course it’s quite considerable.”
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| Steve Bailey:
“You’re a trained referee, why do you do it ?”
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| Steve Rhodes: “Because
I love it. I went as a 27-year old ex-player onto a course, thinking
that it was a means of keeping some involvement in the game. While I
was playing on a Sunday and refereeing on a Saturday, I found that
really it was something I enjoyed as I was getting a little bit
older, more than playing. At a recent course we’ve just had, I
said to the candidates there, it’s the next best thing to playing
and one of our 22-year old instructors who has just been promoted to
the Football League 'line' after about 6 or 7 seasons as a
referee shouted up and said it was actually better than playing, so
that’s how good he thinks it is, as do a lot of other people
too.”
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Steve
Bailey: “Put
this into some kind of context for us with regards the chances of
becoming a Premier League Referee compared to a Premier League
player.” |
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Steve
Rhodes: “The FA
have said recently, that if you were starting out as a 16-year old
player, the chances of becoming a professional player in the Premier
League is about 1 in 100,000. As a referee, that drops to around 1
in 100, so the odds are definitely in favour of the referee making
it rather than a player, which is great news for us.”
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Steve
Bailey: “Why do
you think the lack of available referees, particularly in the
Huddersfield
area, is so desperate a situation there ?”
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Steve
Rhodes: “I went
across to a meeting there and spoke with a number of people involved
with the Leagues over that way and formed the opinion that it was
mainly the abuse and lack of respect. However it could also be the
facilities in certain clubs that aren’t ideal and perhaps the
standard of football might not be that great, but then again,
we’re talking about grassroots football. That’s what you get
around the County though; it’s probably no different to other
areas. You get good teams as well as some that are not so good, but
we’re often talking about clubs who operate out of pubs with one
man running it who puts up the nets, collects the subs, he’ll do
everything and without that person the club would possibly fold.
It
really is a case of needing more volunteers to run clubs and improve
facilities, and to cut out the abuse and bad behaviour which might
make the product of refereeing better to sell. It is an enjoyable
thing after all, it is a hobby and hardly a career to the majority
but for those who want that it can be. You can still get the
enjoyment as parks, grassroots football referee; no doubt about
it.”
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If you would like to
find out more about becoming a referee, please click HERE
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or |
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Contact Steve Rhodes on
0113 282 1222 |
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