To be or not to be... a junior football referee?

Junior football referee
Photo by Rob Oxford

By Rob Oxford
Highlander Gridiron Football Group

To be or not to be... a junior football referee?

It's a fair question really. Given that a lot of parents don't have the time or perhaps the desire to volunteer, the old adage "Somebody has to do it" certainly applies.

Somebody does HAVE to do it and quite often that "somebody" is learning the game just like the team for whom you are cheering.

If you think the fees for your child's extracurricular activities are expensive now, try paying for the type of professional you wish was calling your little guy's game.

Exactly why would a perfectly sane human being subject themselves to abuse from both sides at the same time?

Even a politician has friends on one side(line) or the other. It may be for the attention they receive, the ability to control a situation, they may simply like the way they look in black and white stripes?

It certainly isn't for the money.

Whatever the reason that may compel someone to spend an entire day getting screamed at by coaches, parents, grandparents and, all too often, the players themselves, it can hardly be worth it.

We're all guilty of thinking we could do a better job. We all secretly wish we had our very own whistle, but realistically, not all of us are that crazy.

To be or not to be a junior football referee, that IS the question. The answer to which is yes... and please!

Why? Because we need you. Because despite what we tell ourselves and our fellow parents, we really couldn't do a better job and because even though you need glasses and haven't read the rules since Walter Camp made them up, the success of our season depends entirely upon you.

Good calls, bad calls, we'll take them. They help our young men to deal with life's joys and disappointments. They teach our players to appreciate that with which they have absolutely no control and finally, bad calls especially, teach our young men (and sometimes women) that at this level anyway, it's just a game.