Howard Webb
Premiership referee
I never actually wanted to be a referee growing up as a teenager.
It wasn't something that appealed to me.
But when I realised I wasn't going to get to the heights I'd hoped
for as a player, my father, who was a referee, made me aware of a
referee's course.
I thought I'd give it a go because most of the referees for the
games that I'd played in seemed to be old men.
I honestly thought there was a need for some younger people to be
involved. I also thought that younger refs might get more respect
because they might be fitter and be a bit more in tune with the
game.
So me and a few mates went down and passed the course when I was
about 19 years old.
Even back then leagues were so desperately short of officials, so
you got games straight away.
And if you had an aptitude for it then you got pushed through the
ranks quite quickly.
I got a lot of pleasure from refereeing right from the start. Every
time you walk out onto the field, the FA are entrusting you with
that particular game.
For a young lad of 19, that gives you a feeling of worth. It made
me feel quite responsible and that's the message I'm trying to get
across.
When the game goes smoothly, you get a good feeling of
satisfaction; that you've managed 22 people for 80 or 90 minutes
for a successful game of football.
I got more satisfaction from that than being involved in a team
that might have lost 5-0 on a Sunday morning.
On top of that you get all the benefits of maintaining your
fitness, a good camaraderie amongst the refereeing community and
now it can be a full-time career.
I never realised that when I started out.
At local level there is a lack of respect sometimes for those that
have decided to become referees.
You get people who would never do it themselves and would rather
stand there and criticise from the sidelines.
We have to try and educate people about the importance of referees.
If we're short of referees at local level it will effect the
quality of refs in six or seven years at the top level.
There are so many games that are being refereed by unqualified
officials which is doing harm to the game.
I know from when I played there is nothing better than when a
referee turns up who is neutral and qualified.
It's just like having proper nets in the goal or having a decent
ball; it's part and parcel of what you need to have a good
game.
I've never been experienced any violence as a referee but then
being 6'3" and 15 1/2 stone probably helps!
Not that you need to be that. You need to have a strong personality
and a belief in yourself.
Being a good referee is all down to the way you manage people and
how you communicate with them.
You need to be fit and you need to be dedicated. If you're a young
person you need to aspire high but keep your feet on the ground and
be prepared to learn and listen.