Welcome to the website of the north Devon referees.

Site updated Wednesday 10th March 2010

North Devon referees are pleased to be supported by the

 
Text Box: Comments about the website are more than welcomed as would any information, or material, to add. Please contact:- Andy Walter 7 Park Lane Bideford Devon EX39 2QL Phone: 01237 421444 Mobile 07766 140560 E-mail: andyjwalter@hotmail.com North Devon Referees!!

Any views or opinions expressed on this website are not necessarily supported by either the North Devon Referees Association or the Devon County FA unless stated otherwise

Latest Updates

 

 Latest appointments from Benny

 

Sunday League appointments for Sunday 14th March

 

The following new stories can be found here

Former rugby referee Brian Moore tries the rugby whistle

Ramsey’s pain a legacy of aggressive culture

A number of football people were asked about whether players have a duty of care towards each other

FORMS AVAILABLE TO DOWNLOAD

 

The following forms are all downloadable from the following links

 

Multi Caution Report Form

 

Misconduct Report Form

 

Referee Training in Devon

 

Course Application form

 

Course dates

 

Refereeing—Useful documents

County RA Quiz Results.

 

All the scores/results from the recent County RA quiz along with all the questions and answers can be found HERE

All the old photos/articles can now be found on the ‘Photo Gallery’ page here

Items of local interest which can be found by clicking on the title

 

Local appointments for March

(North Devon Journal, Kingsley and under 16’s)

 

NDRA January branch meeting minutes

 

Wait and see is key to getting it right

(Andy Bennett on offside from the Journal)

 

Former Refs are picking up the whistle

 

Stevens’ learning curve

(The above two pieces recently appeared in the North Devon Journal)

 

Former local referee tragically dies in fire

 

DCFA concerned about quality of report writing

 

Brian is officially honoured

(North Devon RA’s president Brian Pearce honoured!

 

‘Man In The Middle’

Tony Cloak in the Independent

 

North Devon Journal league

Changing facilities

(A reminder for local referees)

 

Upgradings

 

It’s official…Huxtable has ref potential

North Devon Journal Thursday 6th August

 

 

Benny Speaks out!!

Andy Bennett reveals his inner thoughts, taken from ’Refworld’ the website from the PGMO

 

Brett Huxtable reveals All!!

Brett’s article, and picture from a past Journal

 

All the following stories/articles can be found here!!

 

Can Football learn from Hockey?

Dermot Gallagher on ‘that’ goal for Porto

 

Fifa’s gilded elite find it all too easy to ignore an inconvenient truth

 

Michael Oliver – Youngest Premier League referee

 

FA hypocrites should show more respect

 

Mark Halsey – Cancer fight

 

Only severe punishment can stop this cheating

 

Bully on pitch crosses line for next generation

 

Top referee believes diving is related to professional ethics

 

Send-offs on the slide as players follow rules

 

Uefa caves in and the game takes another step to the dark side

 

 Mawhinney calls for law and order

 

Graham Poll writes on ‘Diving’

More articles of national interest found here!!

 

‘Piggy in the Middle’

 

Manager/referee abuse

 

FA have done game a favour

 

Psychologists' diving guide can help' referees spot cheats

 

Managers face action if they talk  about referees before

 Games

 

 Respect means living up to the wage packets

 

Martin Bodenham

 

Here we have a new feature for our website. Someone, ‘The Mole’ is getting some useful information coming his/her way along with bits of gossip and also does have some opinion to express.

 

“The Mole Speaks”

 

             Two of our local referees recently took part in the Bideford Half-marathon. Experienced old campaigner Andy Walter along with young up-start Gary Suggate completed the 13.1 miles from Bideford to Torrington and return. One did it in a time of just over 1hr 47 mins and the other in a very good 1hr 21mins. I will leave it up to you to sort out which did which

 

             Whilst on this sort of subject, level 7 ref Gary Suggate has some more arduous events to come this year. In April he will be taken part in the London Marathon and then in July plans to cycle from John O’Goats to Lands End. Oh, to be young and fit.

 

             Our own level 2 ref Andy Bennett has hit the big time. The referee of the Bristol R v Stockport  County game on Tuesday 2nd March picked up an injury and though he managed to reach half time he was not fit enough to carry on. Since Benny was senior Assistant he had to take up the whistle and took charge of the 2nd half. In his own words ‘it was awesome’!!

 

             It got a bit missed when it happened but top local ref Brett Huxtable got engaged at Christmas. Congratulations to Brett and his Fiancée who happens to be former Football League Assistant referee Nigel Cockwill’s daughter.

 

             Congratulations to the Wrey Arms Sunday League who, for the first time this season have decided that instead of providing their cup final officials with medals, match fee etc, will be providing a complete free match kit to the referee and assistants.  This league has recently been leading the charge in looking after their officials. This league was the first, a few seasons ago, to raise the match fees to £20. Where some lead others follow.

 

             This season it continues to be the case that we have more referees in the north then we have games available. Up until about a season ago it was more a case of some games each Saturday going un- covered. However now the appointments secretary has a different problem in that some referees’ are not getting games every Saturday.  There is even a case of a newish referee got getting an appointment at all this month (March). Somehow I think this problem could continue since I understand that there are already a good number of enquires about the next referees training course including two former local referees looking to take the whistle up again. All referees might have to start to be prepared to have the odd spare Saturday off.

 

             There is a new website for all those with an interest in north Devon football, which has been put together by Rob Bates, North Area Co-ordinator for the Devon County FA. You can this new site at

www.northareadevonfootball.co.uk

 

If you’ve got any news, gossip etc, which you’d like to share then please email themole@northdevonreferees.co.uk

 
Text Box: COMMENT Do it right...........or not at all Andy Walter Chairman – North Devon RA The problem seems to have always been around and it has raised its ugly head again. A small minority of local referees are not doing the job correctly and so letting themselves and, more importantly, their colleagues down badly. There are some referees who are neither reporting cautions or sending –offs or ‘down-grading’ sending-offs to cautions. Both of these practices are totally unacceptable as most referees realise. Word had it that there has been situations recently in North Devon where a referee has sent off a player and gone up to the players team afterwards and said that he would only send it in as a caution. Another alleged time when a referee has cautioned two players and then gone up to the team manager afterwards and told him not too worry, he wouldn’t be sending the cautions in. Why this is done is almost beyond belief. The referee has, in these alleged situations, under minded his own authority as well as letting down every referee who follows him. Players will become aware that the referee concerned does not report any disciplinary action taken so they will certainly take advantage of this; it almost gives them a free reign to do as they wish during a match knowing that nothing will come of it. Then we have the poor colleague who has to follow such referees who will then find themselves being put under pressure by players, managers etc almost demanding them not to report any misconduct because so and so last week didn’t report any. This can be particularly difficult for a newish, little bit inexperienced referee, just trying to do his job correctly to find that a more so-called senior referee has let him down. Fortunately, at the present time locally, we have a small abundance of referees which means that there are some referees only getting the odd game or two a month. What we don’t need is for those referees lucky enough to have games not to be doing the job right when we have referees keen to get out there and do the job correctly, but not always getting the opportunity to do so. If any of the alleged failure of referees to send in the appropriate misconduct report forms could be substantiated then the suspension, and ultimately, deregistration of those referees could, and indeed would, be actively sought. Be prepared to do the job correctly and to meet your obligations and responsibility or get out and make room for those who will.