What it's like to be a football referee

Every week football referees receive plenty of stick from players and fans alike as they officiate everything from park games to Premier League ties.

But for those brave souls who take up the challenge of being an arbiter, the job can be hugely rewarding, according to long-serving ref Keith Gibson.

After several decades of goalkeeping in semi-professional football an injury at the age of 40 ended his playing career.

Having dabbled in refereeing when he was younger, he decided to re-sit his exams and has been officiating in the Wolverhampton & District Sunday Football League ever since.

“It was a way to stay involved in the game. It’s harder to keep playing at that age. When you are getting kicked and knocked every week, it takes longer to recover from the injuries.

“With refereeing you need to be reasonably fit but not in the same physical way as if you were playing. I wasn’t ready to walk away from the game and I wanted to give something back so refereeing seemed ideal for me.

“It’s also very rewarding and it gives you a goal in life, it gets you up and out of the house in all weathers.

“Although this does mean you can spend the game with the sun in your eyes in summer and be freezing in winter.

“As you get older it’s helping to keep you mind and body active, which is very important,” says 65-year-old Keith.

He says there are many skills a good man or woman in the middle must have.

“A referee must be in total control of the game at all times.

“They need to be agile, flexible, understanding and respectful. I’m always respectful to players because I hope they will also be respectful to me.

“You have to earn respect so speaking to them in the same way as I would want them to speak to me is a way of doing this.

“Referees need to be able to defuse situations that become tense and understand that if there is a brawl you don’t throw yourself into the middle. You stand back and use your cards if you have to,” explains Keith.

“You never stop learning because every game is different. The one thing I do after every game has finished is reflect on it and think ‘could I have done anything better?’,” he adds.

During his refereeing career, he has been in charged in cup finals such as the JW Hunt charity football competition.

“When you are given a cup final, it can be quite nerve-wracking. In the days leading up you it you will be thinking about how you’re going to approach it. But when the day comes it goes really quickly and you just do the best job you can do,” explains Keith.

As you might expect, the role does have it’s hairy moments especially if players do not take too kindly to decisions not going their way.

“I had a bucket of water thrown over me after one game. I had sent a player off for foul and abusive language and they decided to give me an early bath with cold water,” says Keith laughing.

But he says occasions like this are actually rare.

“Far more often than not you will have a great game. I was recently referee for Wrens Nest v Bloxwich Town and it went really well.

“There was no bookings, no sendings off and everybody afterwards said ‘great game ref’.

“Moments like that make it all worthwhile and make up for those not so nice moments,” Keith tells us.

He is secretary of Wolverhampton Referees’ Association, which is the largest organisation of its kind in the country.

There are more than 190 members, both men and women, ranging in age from teenagers to octogenarians.

“One of our aims is to encourage young referees and help them to develop and benefit from our experience.

“We have guest speakers such as referees and footballers who share their experiences with our members,” says Baggies fan Keith.

He feels strongly about inspiring the next generation saying they are the future of the game.

“Before each match I referee I always ask if I can talk to the players. I will go into the dressing room and speak to them.

I will introduce myself and tell them what I do and about the Wolverhampton Referees’ Association.

“I will explain to them that there are a lot of young referees coming through the game and they need to be respectful of this and support them.

“I make it clear that if they abuse them it can set them back as it can be very disheartening and without a ref they don’t have a game,” he tells Weekend.

Anyone who wants to become a referee needs to be at least 14-years-old and successfully complete the FA Referee Course.

They need to know The Laws of the Game for 11-a-side football which are set by The International Football Association Board (IFAB).

More exams and fitness tests are required as referees move up the levels to the dizzy heights of the Premier League and Football League.

And for Keith, it’s the best game in the world.

“There is a lot of passion and camaraderie in football and a lot of fun times. You can’t beat it,” he says.

• Wolverhampton Referees’ Association meets on the third Monday of each month at The Clarendon Hotel, Chapel Ash, Wolverhampton at 7.45pm.