Psychologically Developing Talent In Officials

What separates elite referees from the rest? Not all officials that start refereeing grassroots football make it all the way to the top. The further you go along the pathway to the professional game, the narrower the pool of officials becomes. Are there certain psychological skills that elite referees have that give them an advantage? If so, can these skills be taught?

Common Features of Elite Referees

When and where you were born may make a big impact. Research from England suggests that you are more likely to become an elite referee if you grew up in the north of England compared to the south. Possible reasons for this include having an opportunity and access to training and coaching, without being crowded out or having to travel long distances to training.

Likewise, much has been written about how being in the eldest in your year group may give you an early advantage. Being 10 months older than your peers at age 5 is a large percentage difference. The theory goes that these children are often ear-marked as ‘talented’, and as such, get selected for higher quality coaching at an early age, helping set them up on a path for success.

Some researchers have begun to investigate if younger siblings do better than older siblings. The theory being that younger siblings play with, and therefore keep up with, their older brothers or sisters. As a result, they consistently stretch themselves, accelerating their learning, development and performance.

A More Measured Approach

Assuming you are not interested in moving, planning to give birth in the winter months or write-off your first born, there is another (and more sensible/helpful) area of research that may be of interest. Studies have been conducted into the psychological characteristics which help people develop excellence. This blog gives a brief summary of these 9 psychological skills:

Imagery

Picturing successful future performances can help officials prepare and perform more effectively. This can be worked in to part of a pre-match warmup routine and can help give you a sense of certainty over impending fixture. This sense of certainly can help improve confidence on the field of play and is a great technique as it can be applied to any situation where referees may feel nervous or stressed.

Focus and Distraction Control

Elite officials often use pressure to their advantage. As a result, this pressure aids their focus. The ability to recognise and eliminate distractions is easier said than done, but is such an important one for referees to master. I advise all of the officials and clients that I work with to identify what they can control, and to concentrate on that.

Realistic Performance Evaluation and Attribution

Blaming others for your failures can provide a short term relief by helping you maintain your self-concept. But long term, this is not a good formula to help you develop.

Research also suggests that this is an important skill in the arts world as well, with excellent musicians noting the importance of being realistic about their performances.

Commitment

‘There are no shortcuts’

This is also true in chess (it takes chess players, on average, over 750 games before they reach their highest ranking), and it is certainly true for referees as well. This may be one of the hardest traits to develop in someone (maybe even impossible?).

Coaches, referee managers and colleagues can help though, by creating a culture and environment that helps facilitate and nurture commitment. I have previously blogged about how to help do this, with tips such as having high expectations, modelling the desired behaviour and providing high quality feedback.

Planning and Organisation 

‘Preparation is everything….it’s easy to battle it out on the pitch and then say ‘I gave it my all. The point is that if you had prepared carefully, you would have had more to give and you’d have played better’ – Eric Cantona, Former Manchester United & Leeds United Player

To become the best, it requires a lot of dedication and motivation.

In one respect, match day is the easy part, as the public performance lends itself to an increase in adrenaline and effort. Having the self-discipline to prepare yourself during the week takes planning and organisation, be it sticking to a training regime, eating well and studying your previous performance.

Goal Setting and Self-reinforcement

Goal setting has been used extensively over the years to help officials stay motivated and on the right path to success. If done right, it can help develop skills, confidence and concentration.

Quality Practice

It’s not just working hard, but working smart that counts. There is a big difference between just turning up to train and really dedicating yourself once you are there. The former is just going through the motions. The latter gives you a better chance of getting better. A key part of this is to not just keep practicing the skills you can do, but also practice the aspects you struggle with.

Resilience and Self-Regulation

Resilience is a popular topic. It gets discussed frequently in both refereeing and corporate world. In the quest for excellence, there will inevitably be highs and lows. How do elite officials develop this resilience? Viewing decisions as active choices and not sacrifices, using support networks (see the next point below) and taking responsibility for your thoughts, feelings and behaviours are all important ways to develop this skill.

Creating and Using Support Networks

Having a good team around you can help. We believe that teams achieve more than individuals. This is especially true in elite level refereeing. This can include tactical, technical, social and emotional support. Some officials may think asking for help is a sign for weakness. The reality is, it is a sign of strength and can play a key role in their development.

At The Third Team I work individually and in collaboration with different professionals where I have developed workshops and 1-2-1 sessions associated with Resilience and Mental Toughness Development to help referees. The workshops and 1-2-1 sessions are interactive, where referees are encouraged to open up and share their experiences to help themselves and each other.

Feel free to contact me if you’d like to know more about my workshops or 1-2-1 sessions and how I could help you or your officials.

Best Wishes,