ROLL WITH IT ... ref Halsey on Segway
Football authorities have been secretly testing the
Segways - and they will be used in the Blue Square Premier next
season.
With players like Theo Walcott, Gabby Agbonlahor and
Aaron Lennon capable of incredible speeds, it is hoped this new
innovation will help refs keep up.
Allardyce said: "Players are athletes and we
can't expect refs to keep up with them for a full 90 minutes, so
this gives them a real edge.
"We can no longer say the referee was nowhere near the
incident because, with this, he will be. "Finally refs and managers
are listening to each other."
Top referee Mark Halsey said: "Not only does the
innovation help referees keep right up with play it will also mean
older, more experienced refs will not be lost to the game.
"It's easy to move it round the pitch. "This could be
the biggest move forward in refereeing yet."
If the experiment works in non-league, the idea will be
put forward to UEFA for it to be introduced all over Europe.
The suggestion came up at a brainstorming meeting
between refs and managers at the start of the season.
Invented in New Jersey in the USA, Segway personal
transporters can travel at up to 12.5mph and are easily
manoeuvrable with just a slight sway of the body in the direction
you want to move in.
The next meeting of the UEFA Refereeing Congress is a
year today.
