By Karen Swanner
Mental Performance Coach
WPSL and TLFC National Director of Officials
USSF National Emeritus/NISOA Referee
As soccer referees we work in crews. Sometimes we are lucky enough to work with people we are extremely familiar with; we know what to expect from them and they know what to expect from us. But unlike other sports, we are more likely to be assigned to referee with officials we have never met before. While the expectation is that all officials working WPSL and TLFC matches have the skills necessary to manage games at this level, we all don’t come from the same background. Every official’s soccer journey is unique. To be successful as a crew, the one thing all officials have to remember that there is no ‘I’ in team. We are the ‘other’ ‘third’ team on the field, and we must support each other as teammates.
Last season, the WPSL chose six outstanding female officials to attend the Championships in Stillwater, Okla.. While some of these young ladies had worked together before, most had not. During their time in Stillwater, they all shared a house, allowed them to get to know each other and bond, forming a tightly-knitted team before the first whistle was blown.
“Being able to spend so much time off the field together and learning about each other’s strengths and weaknesses, especially learning about what each other has gone through as a person and a referee, really allowed us to perform better on the field,” said Colorado-based referee, Rebecca Greenberg, who refereed a semifinal match and was an assistant referee for the final.
Forming bonds and comradery ahead of working their first game helped the team understand each other’s personalities, trust each other, and know what to expect from each other before they even got to the venue.
Based in South Carolina, Paige Bell served as an assistant referee in the semifinals and refereed the final. “A lot of time we show up to matches and we don’t know anyone in our crew and the expectation is to trust in them and their abilities to make the right calls,” Bell said.. “Since we got to spend so much time together off the field, by the time we got on the field, there was no question about each other’s ability and trust in each other.”
This situation is unique and made it easy for this group to present themselves in a united front as a team, but it is not always that easy.
So, what can we do to help build that ‘team’ culture?
Communicate as the team, not as an individual: When someone makes a call, whether you agree or disagree, communicate the call as ‘we saw’, ‘our decision was’. ‘we made’’ versus ‘he raised his flag’, ‘I had this’. Always avoid language that sells your partners down the river!
“The most important thing for a successful officiating crew to remember is that we are in this together and your words are powerful, what you say, people hear,” Sport Performance Coach and Secrets of Champions Founder, Dr. George Carlo, said. Dr. Carlo works with professional athletes and teams to build team cultures. His training is based on the mind body connection and how they must work together to build total and balanced performance. based in Buffalo New York Some of his success stories include the Buffalo bills Detroit tigers and Philadelphia Phillies “In the context of communication for an officiating crew, words like ‘we’, ‘us’, and ‘our’ are always better than ‘I’, ‘me’, ‘my’. It’s the ‘we’ concept and ‘we based communication.”
It is important to remember to communicate with coaches and players in a manner that reflects an inclusive and cohesive crew, so everyone knows the officiating team is on the same page. There is no better way to ‘sell’ your calls when you have the support and confidence of your team!
