Referees: The Final Whistle

In this episode we welcome Richard Storey; currently referee in the Republic of Ireland and formerly FIFA Assistant Referee whilst in Northern Ireland.   We discuss:  ⚽Richard's memories of his time on the FIFA AR Panel  ⚽The pressures of officiating senior international football from the age of 24 and how he ended up on one of the biggest international matches  ⚽How he bala...

In this episode we welcome Ben Williamson; referee and Co-Founder of YesRef, a system that links clubs who need referees with referees!   We discuss:  ⚽YesRef - what it is and how it works  ⚽Specialist roles within officiating and the factors in deciding which to choose  ⚽Referees rating clubs for things like hospitality, friendliness and so on and rewarding the top performe...

In this episode we welcome refereeing legend and all-round nice guy Mark Clattenburg, currently Head of Refereeing with the Hellenic Football Federation and Ambassador for Leisure Leagues International.   We discuss:  ⚽Referee's basic equipment  ⚽Communication and body language - how to communicate internationally  ⚽Mark's grassroots memories, such as the Whitley Bay summer...

In this episode we welcome Dave Brammer: former Premier League Assistant Referee and current contributory and supply league Referee Observer for the Football Association. We discuss: ⚽Dave and Martin's 30 year friendship and the advice that helped Martin get onto the Football League ⚽What to do if you have an Assistant Referee who wants to get "too involved" and force awkward decisions on the re...

In this episode we welcome Jerry Gill: current manager of Bath City Football Club and former player for Birmingham City FC, Yeovil Town FC and Northampton Town Football Club to name a few!   We discuss:  ⚽Jerry's career and amazing memories from his journey  ⚽How the FA can engage with managers and clubs to improve synergy  ⚽Who uses the sunbed more: Jerry Gill or Mark Clatt...

In this episode we welcome:  ⚽Chris Hull (@mrchrishull on Twitter) - broadcaster, football administrator, referee and now helping Nationwide Building Society to promote their FA Respect partnership and Mutual Respect Award - is today’s guest on The Final Whistle.   We discuss:   ⚽How this new campaign will look with Nationwide Building Society behind it  ⚽The existing respec...

In this episode we discuss:  ⚽ Nuno Espírito Santo and Sean Dyche open critisism of top referees  ⚽ Double standards in the performance of elite players vs elite referees  ⚽ Should Sian Massey-Ellis go to the next world cup?  ⚽ Where to place your defensive wall with relation to pitch markings...

In this episode we discuss: ⚽ Dr Tom Webb's book Referees, Match Officials & Abuse ⚽ Almost 94% of all referees subjected to verbal abuse ⚽ What is the answer to fix the game of this problem?   Buy Dr Tom's New Book HERE: tinyurl.com/y4rydz5k

In this episode we discuss: ⚽ Racial and homophobic language on the pitch ⚽ Jan Molby and how to deal with angry dugouts ⚽ The suicide of young footballers and the importance of mental health

In this episode we discuss: ⚽ How Ceri Travers changed the way youth refs are called upon in hearings ⚽ Using social media to confront bad behaviour ⚽ Mentors and the lack of follow up for newly qualified referees   Reach out to Ceri and her awesome work at Ceri.refereewelfare@btinternet.com

I'd like to apologise for the opening rant on this episode, but I can't think of many people who would disagree with what I say. ALSO, somewhere in this episode is a competition question, which if you get the answer correct means you could win a FULL UMBRO REFEREES KIT #competition    In this episode we discuss: ⚽ Referees blocked/requiring permission from County FA to use social media...

In this episode we discuss: ⚽ Satyam Toki update - police to caution offender ⚽ Spanish Referee demoted for holiday photos ⚽ WIN a full Umbro Kit ⚽ Does the FA have a secret department & what is NAR? ⚽ COVID Guidelines for Referees ⚽ Keith Stroud kissing the matchball ⚽ Bilic vs Mike Dean (Red Card) ⚽ Referees Using Social Media for Support ⚽ Referee Development Officers: our experien...

In this episode we discuss: ⚽ Assaults On Match Officials ⚽ County FA Sine Die punishments (and lack of) ⚽ Police Response to Referee Assaults ⚽ Body Cameras and other forms of protection for refs

In this episode we discuss: ⚽ Techniques that should only be used by seasoned referees ⚽ Sian Massey-Ellis: best AR at the moment? ⚽ Project Restart - grassroots implementation ⚽ Referees on strike & CFA response

In this episode we discuss: ⚽ COVID-19 Impact on Referees ⚽ The mindset difference in midweek vs. weekend games ⚽ FA Learning and changes to the setup ⚽ Progression for referees: Meritocracy?

In this episode we discuss: ⚽ Anthony Taylor FA Cup appointment ⚽ Buying foreign referees for the Premier League ⚽ How American Football uses VAR ⚽ IFAB vs FIFA on Law Creation

In this episode, with our special guest, Jorg Oppers, Head of Referees for the Dutch Easter Open competition, we discuss: Player ID cards, team sheets, the disciplinary system in Holland and much more...

In this episode we discuss: Support from home and societies after a tough match The Liverpool Fan who officiated them, VAR politics, Whistles Body cams, using bad language and mental health

We are 3 football referees; Ant Canavan (The Referee Forum), Martin Cassidy (Ref Support UK) and Nathan Sherratt (The Third Team). This is the first of a regular chat between 3 referees of various ages, experiences and levels within the football pyramid. We will discuss everything; from the very top of the game all the way to park Sunday Leagues. Along the way we will bring in familiar faces from...

Ref Support UK was sent a tweet from Hamilton Academical Women and Girl's Football Club about a particularly amusing incident with an assistant who wanted to get a little too involved. We also discuss Socca penalty kicks and how they reminded us of the US in the mid 90s.

We had clips to chat about for this episode but we got sidetracked and ended up talking about something very personal to all of us. Hope you enjoy the episode!

In this episode, our guest Adam Penwell opens up on the effect that a career ending injury had on his mental health, how the PGMOL helped him through rehabilitation and how he feels now as a retired referee.

We have a special guest on this episode! The match referee from the clip we have been discussing for the previous 4 episodes, Adam Penwell, is joining us to share his own thoughts and experiences. Will he agree with the points? What will happen if he doesn't? Find out in this episode of... GOLDIE LOCKDOWN!

We have a special guest on this episode! The match referee from the clip we have been discussing for the previous 3 episodes, Adam Penwell, is joining us to share his own thoughts and experiences. Will he agree with the points? What will happen if he doesn't? Find out in this episode of... GOLDIE LOCKDOWN!

In this episode we dive even deeper into Martin's Goldilocks clip, Nathan calls Martin pedantic and Ant cracks open the popcorn to see what happened next!