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Oliver Storey: Football referee
and that was the same with refereeing. Even though the negatives of refereeing and the abuse can be dispiriting, and have in some cases forced people out of the role completely, I wasn’t going to let that take away from the positives. There’s the good feeling that comes with a job well done, the experience and confidence gained by having to interact with people who you don’t know, the fitness gained from the amount of running (especially if you get 2 or 3 matches a week), and even the small financial gain from the match fee. Can you briefly describe the pathway to becoming a referee? To start as a referee, I attended a three-day course which cost £165 when I took it, but this shouldn’t put anyone off because
Oliver Storey (09-20) left Dulwich with the rest of the Class of 2020 and is currently studying Sports Business and Sports Broadcasting at the University Campus of Football Business in Wembley, a stone’s throw from the iconic stadium. While at the College, Oliver took full advantage of the sporting opportunities available to him, including rugby, cricket, swimming, badminton and athletics. Yet it was soccer to which he was particularly drawn, playing in goal for the 1 st XI, as well as Dulwich Village U18 team. For most, playing the sport you love is enough, but Oliver took a different route and, after offering to help referee a College Year 6 soccer tournament, found that officiating rather than playing really captured his attention. Before long he was refereeing school matches at the weekend and in 2019 at the age of 16 he attended his first referees course. He took charge of his first match outside Dulwich aged 17; an U18 game in the Tandridge Youth League. It was an eye-opening experience but, far from putting him off, he relished the challenge and has since flourished and is on course for promotion as one of the youngest referees in the game. Your first match was clearly challenging - I can imagine you were very nervous! It’s always scary going into something you haven’t done before, especially when you’re aware of the possible abuse, even at Under 18 level, that you’re going to face.
Can you describe the sort of abuse you have experienced? The abuse towards football referees is widely known about and it’s generally accepted that a referee will receive abuse. The abuse I’ve received has all been verbal and ranges from being called blind and stupid to most profanities one can think of. You say you realised how difficult the game was to referee... My first match was a particularly challenging one for me due to my lack of experience and because I was very nervous going into the game. I made lots of mistakes, including forgetting to put up my yellow card when cautioning a player and giving a penalty to one of the teams incorrectly, which then made it much more difficult for me to stay in control. At the start of my refereeing career, I realised that there are many techniques and tricks of the trade that I hadn’t learnt in training; the sort of things you pick up on when refereeing with higher level officials and by trial and error in matches. For example, when trying to explain decisions, I’ve realised there are certain ways to explain things, and that sometimes honesty isn’t always accepted well by the players. A more diplomatic approach such as saying “I thought the challenge was a bit clumsy” or “there wasn’t enough contact to give a foul” is better than telling the players “I didn’t see the challenge” because players will expect a referee to see every small thing on the pitch, even when it’s not physically possible for that to happen. Did you feel that you were picked on because of your age and lack of experience? When refereeing men’s football, I always felt that, because I was younger than all of them, sometimes by a good 40 years, they felt like they could get away with more and use their experience of playing the game to outwit me. However, a referee explained to me that age doesn’t matter as a referee is more senior than the players on the pitch, so that should be reflected in the way I referee. that advice has really helped me keep control of some matches. Has that lessened as you gain experience? I think the players will still try to pick on me because of my age but, as I gain experience, their tricks become less effective. I can now control the game as well as, or even better than, an older referee. What was it about refereeing that meant you stuck with it despite the challenges? I’ve always enjoyed a challenge and putting myself in high pressure situations. No matter what I do, I will do it to the best of my ability – that’s just my mentality. I believe that if I stick with something and work hard, I can eventually be one of the best at it,
love to have VAR at some of my matches because there are always things you’ll miss. It’s a really good piece of equipment that gives referees a chance to change their decision when they have made a “clear and obvious error” and so significantly improves the number of correct decisions per match. However, there’s no exact definition of “clear and obvious” which can cause some debate and confusion, even amongst referees. As a football fan, VAR can be frustrating at times, especially if the decision goes against your team. Also, the stop-and-start nature of a VAR check does ruin the flow of the game. On the whole, I’m pro-VAR as long as the laws of the game are being adapted to fit the technology. Do you want to become a professional referee? I see you want to work in the sports TV industry - it would be interesting to hear why you are perhaps not interested in refereeing professionally. I would love to become a professional referee and potentially referee
the money can be made back before you actually become a qualified referee. The course is split equally into classroom analysis, which covers the laws of the game, and practical refereeing. This side involves learning about holding flags, blowing whistles and basic positioning. After that, you need to complete five matches then take a laws of the game exam. How frequently do you referee? On average, I’ll referee two or three games a week: one midweek match, a Saturday match and possibly a Sunday cup match. However, I can end up refereeing four matches in a week, which is extremely exhausting! Referees get paid for the matches they officiate, which is why the fee to pay for the course shouldn’t put anyone off. The fee goes up in line with the quality of football. Under 12’s matches pay around £20 but are generally easier to referee, whereas men’s matches can pay up to £40. Apart from interpreting the laws of the game, what role does the referee play on the pitch? The referee needs to ensure the safety of all the players both on and off the pitch, and communicate their decisions to the players and any spectators with strong signals and whistling. The referee is also the timekeeper and scorekeeper for the match, so ensures that all matches have as close to 90 minutes of playing time as possible, and that the correct score is recorded after the match. Any views on VAR? Being both a referee and a fan of football, I have mixed opinions about VAR. As a referee, I would
in the Premier League. If that doesn’t work out for whatever reason, I’d love to work behind the scenes of live sports TV, either in the gallery or in the studio. Another option I’ve considered is match reporting on a show like Soccer Saturday or Final Score.
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