Football’s coming back and so are the referees

Players, young and old, amateur and senior have all been kicking their heels rather than footballs.

But an end is in sight.

In three short weeks competitive action returns for Scottish senior sides outside the Premiership and friendly matches are underway.

Fans may not be back yet, but while the players have been honing their skills and fitness over recent weeks, so too have the referees and they’re ready for the kick-off too.

Lloyd Wilson is a grade one referee who took charge of several games last season - including a cup shock as Penicuik Athletic eliminated Stenhousemuir from the Scottish Cup. He can’t wait to get back out there into the heart of the action again next month.

He said: “We encourage anybody from any background, any experience, to come in and give it a go.

“The opportunities of rising to the top of the game are there for everybody if you show the right commitment, skill, fitness and desire. When I came into refereeing 11 years ago I would never have thought I was going to be refereeing in the SPFL. But with hard work you can get there.

“As a footballer, to be quite honest I was rubbish. So in terms of me reaching Category One and operating in the SPFL I could never have got there kicking a ball.

“Lockdown has been really challenging, but from a personal level my motivation to operate as high up the refereeing ladder as I can is always there; that determination never waned.

“What I’ve found challenging is knowing when to be back, so I can be in tip top condition to be back in the thick of things.”

And into the thick of things he will be. Matches will be shown on various club TV channels, so the scrutiny will be there, just without the holler of the crowds.

“What people often think is that players and referees are at loggerheads; that is actually so far from the truth,” he said.

“Don’t get me wrong, there are some players out there who really make you earn your cash and some really challenge you.

“But most of the time the players have a great relationship with the referees.

“Everyone’s emotions are high, players want to win, but I generally have a great relationship with the players.

“In terms of decision making we would always be encouraging referees to be consistent. That’s what players and spectators want.

“We always say it comes down to angles and TV tells us that. You look at something from one angle and go ‘that’s not a free-kick’ and then from another angle and think ‘that’s a clear free-kick’. That’s where fitness is so important.

“There are some challenges in refereeing, which the public are well aware of. And there’s a lot of commitment required when you go up the ladder.

“Some of the social media stuff we could do without and where it becomes personal, they are things clearly nobody wants.

“I never really think of the negatives of refereeing because, thankfully, they are few and far between. People often say to me that seems a bit bizarre because the media generally pick up on some of the errors. But the media lately have been really good at picking up the real positives of refereeing.

“You do get the usual run-of-the-mill abuse on the sidelines, but now we’re realising with no crowds just how much we actually miss that!

“In terms of the banter you get from the stands, referees hugely miss it. It actually really helps drive us on as well.”

Wilson is a refereeing member in the South of Scotland but there are referees’ associations all over the country.

He added: “There are examples if you really want to get to the top of the game, but we have a real high number of guys who just thoroughly enjoy giving something back to the local community, doing youth or amateur football.

“There is a final examination on the theoretical side so clearly if someone isn’t up to scratch in terms of what they have learned, unfortunately they wouldn’t pass. But there’s not a line we take that you must have certain qualifications or must have been in football. “But it’s actually about learning those man-management skills, leadership skills, valuable life skills in just how to manage people and situations better.

“We would strongly encourage anybody that’s keen to be involved in football as a referee, or even learn more about the laws of the game.

“In terms of getting into it we would encourage as many people as possible.”