The following officials have been appointed to the Cup Finals. All to be played at Accrington Stanley Football Club.

Tuesday 8th May Walmsley Cup

Ref: Mike Reid

Thursday 10th May Allan Mason Cup

Ref: John Spencer

Tuesday 15th May Calvert Cup

Ref: Peter Raywood [...]]]> Congratulations to following members on the following appointments.

The following officials have been appointed to the Cup Finals. All to be played at Accrington Stanley Football Club.

Tuesday 8th May Walmsley Cup

Ref: Mike Reid

Thursday 10th May Allan Mason Cup

Ref: John Spencer

Tuesday 15th May Calvert Cup

Ref: Peter Raywood Asst Refs: Chris Honey & Alex Maclean

First thing to realise is that development points on assessments, or mentor reports, are just that. They are not weaknesses, weakness is [...]]]> I wanted to write a piece based on the positive reinforcement message that Cefyn was taking about in our April meeting, this is something I have been working on, alongside Cefyn, all season.

First thing to realise is that development points on assessments, or mentor reports, are just that. They are not weaknesses, weakness is a negative word, and thinking of these areas of your game that you do not perform as well on as others in a negative way will cause you to always under perform in these areas. You will always see here as things that you do badly.

The key is to turn this thinking into positive thinking, for example:

A recent assessment says that you play advantage well, however you do not come back to, both, the offender and the player against which an offence has occurred.

Here it is easy to think “I play advantage and I don’t come back to the offender”. The fact that you are using the words “I don’t” are negative, and will have an adverse affect on your advantage next time you play it.

Instead of “I don’t” think instead “I will”, using this phrase change s the above sentence to “I play advantage and I will come back to the offender”.
Immediately you can see that this now comes across as much more positive in your mind.

Now, the next time you play advantage you will be thinking, as you are shouting “play on, advantage” with your arms outstretched, “I will come back to the offender” and very quickly you will find that you do start to come back to the offender.

It is also very important to understand how you feel when you manage to improve your development area as this will also allow you to train yourself to do this. The feeling of improving, and getting something right, is vital in improving our mindset and our actions on a repeated basis.

Try this in your next game and beyond, good luck for the remainder of the season.

Paul Bell

Justin Jennings, Michael Reid & Jonathan Hinder on all achieving level 5.
And David curran achieving level 6.

Well done to all.

Congratulations on Vincent Baldwin achieving 30 years as a referee.

Should you not, however, please do not be too disheartened, instead use this to your advantage.

Ask yourself why did I not receive the promotion/cup final [...]]]> The end of the marking season is close, and the time when cup finals and promotions are announced, I hope that you receive the news that you are awaiting.

Should you not, however, please do not be too disheartened, instead use this to your advantage.

Ask yourself why did I not receive the promotion/cup final that I deserved?

The usual excuses will come out, so and so got nicer assessors, the fixture secretary hates me, my face doesn’t fit.

Very often though we, ourselves, hold the key to this question.

Have you fully applied yourself in every fixture that you have been given?
Have you prepared for every game in a professional manner?
Have you made yourself available and not given games back at short notice?
Have you listened to advice from mentors/assessors/coaches?
Have you learnt something every time you have been out on to the field of play?

If the answers to all these are yes, then keep going, your time will come. However if you have answered no, or maybe, to any of these then you, yourself, hold the keys to your future.

You will get out of refereeing exactly what you put in to it, the rewards will come if you think, and act, in a professional manner. It is not enough to simply turn up every week and expect things to happen for you. YOU must make them happen.

The only thing that you can control is you, your attitude, your preparation, your learning. Part of that is attending your local RA meetings where you can meet like minded individuals and learn from the experiences of others. Draw on the experience that lies within.

So, come March, I hope that you receive the news that you desire, however if you don’t then think about changing you.

“There are no secrets of success. It is the result of preparation, hard work and learning from failure.” Colin L. Powell

Enjoy the rest of the season

Paul Bell

We look forward to the coming 12 months and the developments that this will bring to young referees across East Lancashire.

It really is a s simple as the video above points out, that you’re not going to be able to easily spot the [...]]]> A video by the Football Association on the awareness of referees and how many people, from different walks of life, want to become referees because they love the game.

It really is a s simple as the video above points out, that you’re not going to be able to easily spot the referee unless they’re officiating a current football game. In the Accrington and District Referees’ society, there are many different individuals from a range of professions and walks of life who have chosen to become a referee because they love the game. It simply isn’t the fact that you are an individual who gets to officiate a game in the welcoming surroundings of East Lancashire, but that you, as a football referee, will have the ability to both contribute and learn from the different aspects of the field of play.

However, it is important that the game of football has more individuals who are interested in being trained and mentored to become great referees – you never know, you could become the next Howard Webb and be refereeing the World Cup final in a few years. In short, the country needs another eight thousand referees by the end of 2012.

To find out more and get in touch with us, send a message through our contact form.