Referees' Diary

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CALLING ALL FOOTBALL REFEREES!

If you are a referee living in the East London/Essex area and you're looking for

Sunday football of the highest quality, then try the

Essex Sunday Corinthian Football League.

Our teams all play in the following areas:

Newham, Waltham Forest ,Barking & Dagenham, Havering, Redbridge and Epping Forest.

You can contact the Referee's Secretary, Frank Marsh,

web site editor Peter George, or the League General Secretary Stan Hamilton.

	New Editor				SEND YOUR REPORTS ONLINE
	The League wish to extend a warm welcome to Frank Marsh as the new editor of this part of the League's web site and the referee's section of the monthly magazine. Frank has refereed on the League for many seasons and now takes over from Dave O'Donnell as the referee's secretary. We all wish Frank well in his new role. if you wish to contact Frank with anything for the web site or magazine, please e-mail frank.marsh@escfl.co.uk.				You can print or send your match reports directly to Onur Gokdemir from the web site. We have the Referee's Report form available online in two formats. For a printable version click here (pdf file) For a word version for e-mail click here (doc file)

	Bad Weather
	Once we are in the grip of the White Stuff and Ice don’t forget that you can delay the kick off until 11 am.
	Pitch Conditions
	There is an ever increasing number of insurance claims made against clubs & referees related to injuries suffered by players, which they alleged are due to the poor state of the pitches. As a referee, you should do all you reasonably can to prevent injuries from happening on the field of play. You have the authority to ask for a pitch to be made safe or to cancel a game if you feel the pitch conditions are unsuitable. This may prove an unpopular decision at the time in certain circumstances, but you should exercise this authority at all times.

	Referees Result Sheets
	Barrie advises us that one or two referees are not returning result sheets. It is important they are returned, on time and fully completed to help us keep an eye on the discipline etc and act before it gets out of hand. Your co-operation in returning them promptly will assist us all greatly. Please, make every effort to return them to Disciplinary Secretary, Barry Fox, within two days of your game taking place - thanks.

	Future Appointments
	To view your future appointments before the magazine is posted, take a look at our website Fixtures. And don’t forget all appointments are subject to change and will (until further notice) come via me - Frank
	Send Offs – Violent Conduct
	When reporting such incidents on result sheets, be specific by writing on the reverse side of the sheet exactly what the player(s) did - e.g. punching, stamping, kicking, head butting etc. This will assist management to deal with such cases more efficiently.

	INJURIES ON THE FIELD OF PLAY - DUE TO PITCH CONDITIONS
	There has been an increase in the number of insurance claims made against referees and clubs relating to injuries suffered by players, allegedly due to the poor state of the pitch. Claims have been made against referees where injuries have allegedly been suffered: Poorly prepared pitches i.e. large or excessive tufts of grass, sizeable ruts or holes in the pitch. The effects of inclement weather such as excessive water, mud or particularly hard grounds. (Remember, you are permitted to delay the kick-off until 11:00 am in cases of inclement weather). A Reminder - The Responsibilities of Referees This applies to both registered and substitute referees. As a referee, do all you reasonably can to prevent injuries from happening on the field of play. Take your responsibilities very seriously in relation to a thorough pitch inspection before kick-off. You have the authority to ask for a pitch to be made safe, or to cancel a game if you feel the pitch conditions are unsuitable for play - it is vital you exercise this authority at all times.

	Match Reports				Send Offs – Violent Conduct
	Some of the more interesting match reports we receive from referees are now published on the web site. Click here to see if your report was printed. And we haven't just done the pretty ones!				Two seasons ago we had to suspend a player’s registration for alleged head butting. Please, when reporting such incidents on match result sheets, be specific by writing on the reverse side of the sheet exactly what the player(s) did I.e. punching, stamping, kicking, head butting etc. Your co-operation will assist greatly in enabling management to deal with such cases quickly. A reminder to all - leave mobile phones switched on Sundays. I may need to contact you, especially should a game be called off or a late appointment change.

	Referees Result Sheets
	Please return your match result sheets promptly and fully completed. These should reach Disciplinary Secretary, Onur Gokdemir, within two days of the game taking place. Further results sheets are available on the web at www.escfl.co.uk/downloads

	REFEREES ‘CRYING OFF’				Unavailable? - Don’t forget to tell Frank!
	If a referee calls off, don’t wait until Thursday to tell Frank Marsh, especially when you’ve known since Monday evening. This happened recently and the club responsible were very fortunate to get a ref in the end. It was also disappointing that three of our referees failed to advise Frank of their unavailability in good time - despite knowing for at least 4 days in one particular case! In future, Frank would like all clubs and referees to tell him as soon as possible and give him a chance in getting other officials.				Very rarely we have referees drop out on our games. Usually, its an injury following a Saturday afternoon game. However, sometimes its due to illness that may have been ongoing for a few days. In such cases, please try and give Frank as much advanced notice as possible. It will assist him in seeking replacements earlier and hopefully not late on Saturday night or Sunday morning.

	Double-Header Matches - Details to Note
	Kick Offs - First match by 10.30am. A match not started by 10.40am shall be awarded to the non-offending team. Second match to start by 10.50am latest in the event of the first match not taking place. Duration - Two equal halves of 30 minutes each way. You are not permitted to play one match to cover ‘double-header’ matches - two games must be played. Inclement Weather - Should the weather be unsuitable and you feel it could clear up, a single match can still be played. The kick-off for this game should be by 11.20am latest. Sent Off Player - A player sent off in the first match is permitted to play, act as trainer or line in the second match, except when the player is sent off for acts of a violent nature. However, should you have concerns regarding them playing any individual in the second game, talk with the offending team's manager and place the onus on them to act in a positive and sensible manner. If you don’t get their support and still remain concerned for the safety of players, call the second game off and cover yourself. We would prefer to play a game at a later date, after everyone’s had the opportunity to cool off, rather than end up having players seriously injured etc. Your Fee - Is £40.00 (50/50 from each club) and should be offered to you before the start of the first game, if it’s not report it on your result sheet. Result Sheets - A separate sheet for each game must be sent to Onur Gokdemir within two days of the games taking place.

	Referees Markings Sheets		WORDS OF WISDOM
	It has been pointed out the possible marks awarded to clubs for sportsmanship are not indicated on the sheets. When marking teams a maximum of 10 points can be awarded (per team).		Terry Catherall has written a set of short law updates for clubs and these will be printed in the magazine over the coming months. For those of you on the Web, your preview comes early! Click on this link for Terry's views on the game's laws.
	Match Official Fees
	The home club are responsible for the payment of match official fees before any game. In League games, both clubs pay one fee each for Assistant Referees. For Cup matches, official fees are paid for on a straight 50-50 basis between competing clubs. Should you wish the club to hold the fee until after the match, please inform the secretary/manager when the fees are offered before kick-off.

REPORT FORMS

You can download the referee's report forms directly using the link below

IT’S YOUR WEBSITE TOO!

We are always seeking ways on how to improve your magazine (and the Web Site). If you have any suggestions, let us know. Also if you have a point you want to raise or an article you’d like printed - send it in.