Going into the first day of the festival, I felt both excited, and a bit nervous, as I would be working with referee teams of both new and familiar faces. Although, I was most excited to referee tournament final matches on both the Saturday and Sunday, where the stakes are higher and the atmosphere is more intense.
On Saturday, my first role when I arrived at NTCI for the U13/14 Boys Tournament was to relieve one of the morning referees as the Fourth Official. Ben, the Club’s Head Referee, and I constantly reminded coaches and players to stay within their technical areas to ensure Assistant Referee 1 (AR1) had a clear path and space to run the touchline in front of the team benches. It took a few reminders, but the coaches were very respectful and understood why these areas were in place.
For the following match, I was the middle referee. I wasn’t too nervous, as I’ve refereed U13/14 boys before, but I did anticipate more pressure and feedback since teams were competing for a spot in the final.
In my third match of the afternoon, I was AR2, running the touchline on the far, spectator, side of the field. I’ve learned through prior experience how essential confidence is in this role, as I have the best angle to judge offside, and the middle referee relies on my signals to make decisions. When I make a call, whether it’s offside or a foul, it’s important that I’m decisive because clear communication builds trust within the referee team. One thing I really enjoyed was how we worked as a unit, subtly signaling and supporting each other as we came to our decisions.
I was a bit nervous heading into the final match, knowing how intense these games can get when a trophy and gold medal are on the line. But overall, it went smoothly, the players were respectful, and the coaches stayed in their technical areas. With the match ending 5-1, tensions naturally stayed low as it was clear who was the better team.
At full time, several parents approached us to thank and congratulate the full referee team. That kind of positive feedback is always meaningful, confirming that our hard work is noticed and appreciated.
I was even more excited for the second day of the festival, Sunday, which was the girls divisions tournaments. The opportunity to work with a strong and familiar group of referees that I knew I could count on really got me going.
Despite the intense heat, the games were fun to officiate thanks to each team’s positive energy and determination. It was also special to work as part of an all-female officiating crew because it’s something that doesn’t happen often.
At one point in the afternoon, one of the referees, not originally scheduled to take up the role of the middle referee, had to step in last-minute. She hadn’t refereed in the middle with the age group on a full-sized field before, so I knew it was probably a nerve-wracking situation.
Knowing this, our referee team made sure to support her every step of the way. The ARs were vocal and confident with their signals, and we all made a point to encourage her from the touchlines.
That kind of support really showed how connected we were as a team, and was a personal highlight of the day for myself. Glancing over during matches and seeing my crew watching and encouraging me was amazing. That energy and mutual support made a huge difference, and reminded me why I love being part of this referee community.
By Leni V. – Club Referee