TIPS FROM THE TOP
Always be proactive, urges FIFA referee Steve Bennett

Special Report by Bill Hamilton

Steve Bennett is one of the Premiership’s leading referees. The former Kent teacher has taken charge of some of this season’s highest profile matches and won general acclaim for his ability to cope with the huge physical demands of today’s game and for his superbly honed man management skills. As a member of the FIFA panel, he is also regularly refereeing abroad both in European competitions and international matches.

Hearing of his visit to the North Herts branch of the Referees’ Association, The Flag and Whistle’s intrepid reporter decided the opportunity to learn some of the secrets of Steve’s success was simply too good to miss.

Firstly, some interesting facts: Steve earns a salary of £70,000 a year as one of the Select Group of 19 professional referees in England. It may seem an awful lot of money until you realise that some Premier League players earn this amount in just one week!

The exposure of a Premier League referee’s performance is almost beyond belief. Televised highlights of Premiership games are now beamed into the homes of viewers in no fewer than 195 countries worldwide with the average weekly audience estimated at 93 million.

So just how are referees being trained to cope with the pace and tempo of the modern day game? Well, to start with they are subjected to an extremely tough fitness regime. Fitness is taken very seriously by the professional referees’ employers (PGMOL). Training is undertaken four times weekly, diet is scrutinised, speed is measured, and sports scientists carefully analyse each and every statistic.

Mistakes do - and will - happen and our top referees are held accountable for these errors. By using a specialised computer programme known as ProZone, entire matches are replayed and analysed in miniscule detail. Decisions are carefully dissected and if serious mistakes are identified, the match official will find himself refereeing outside the Premiership the following week.

The system, in place at Premiership grounds, comprises a series of video cameras that track movement around the pitch. It demonstrates the physical demands placed upon the referee and the pace of the game. It shows up clearly the referee’s distance from the ball, his current speed, a speed profile from standing to sprinting, the ability to keep up with play, the distance covered and how far each official runs and how quickly.

For instance, in one recent game, referee Mark Clattenburg’s top speed was shown to be greater than that of Tierry Henry. In another match, Howard Webb covered over 13 km, a much greater distance than any of the players.

Match Assessors sit in the stands at every game, together with Match Delegates. The Assessors provide a written report on the technical performance of the match official, monitoring all aspects of his game – his impact on the match; his presence on the pitch; his communication skills; and his positioning and movement. Delegates speak to both the referee and the participating club managers after the game and a written report is also presented to aid the analysis that will follow. Using all the data available, a merit table is then constructed and it can be quickly established at which level each referee is best suited to work.

Steve Bennett says the pace of the game is faster in England than in the rest of Europe. There the build-up is slow but then becomes explosive … so fitness is imperative.

He doesn’t have Sky TV, sometimes doesn’t even watch Match of the Day. He never watches a complete game re-run on video, preferring to switch off, relax and mentally prepare for the next match. For, in today’s game, he says the mental pressures are equal to the physical demands and you must have the type of personality to be able to deal with them. For those who suffer from mental fatigue, he insists the question has to be asked: “should you be doing it? It is absolutely essential to be in the right frame of mind before every high profile game.” If there’s one clear key to Steve’s own success it is his strongly-held view that every referee should be proactive in his handling of the game. Be sure in your mind about how you’re going to manage free-kicks and corners. When it comes to challenges, it’s vitally important that you are in the right position to give yourself some sort of angle to make a judgment.

You only get one chance – so use every available aid – pitch markings, the position of the ball, the force and speed of the challenge.

Members of the North Herts Society were shown four video clips showing incidents that had occurred in four of Steve Bennett’s matches. They were asked to make instant decisions – was each just a foul, or did the incidents require more serious sanctions – a yellow or red card.

Each happened so quickly that the members’ reactions differed greatly. As each was replayed several times, opinions changed rapidly. This is the Premiership today – fast, furious and a severe test even for the fittest and most mentally alert referee.

One of the incidents caught everyone by surprise. Everton were preparing to take a throw in when suddenly Steve Bennett’s whistle blew. The audience – almost to a man – was watching the thrower and completely missed Duncan Ferguson swing his fist straight into the midriff of a Bolton defender in the penalty area. Unfortunately, for Ferguson, Bennett was more alert than the lads of North Herts!

Advice – be prepared to gamble at throw-ins and if you know where the ball is going to go, then be aware and concentrate your focus to where things are most likely to happen.

Members were asked to stand and swing an arm at the colleague standing immediately adjacent. Without realising it, nearly every action was with a clenched fist. That, explained Steve, was the key to show you someone is going out to hurt an opponent. “If you see a clenched fist, then there’s a good chance he means to do someone.”

The final clip was from an England-Germany youth game. At first, most thought that though the challenge looked nasty, no card needed to be shown. Following a closer view, it was clear that the player had twisted his entire body, endangering the opponent’s safety with the force of his challenge.

That referees of the calibre of Steve Bennett are prepared to make a round trip of 150 miles to talk to a local referees’ society speaks volumes for their enthusiasm and dedication to the game. The following week-end he was due to be Fourth Official at Chelsea v Tottenham on the Saturday, referee Arsenal v Liverpool on the Sunday and then next day fly off to handle a FIFA appointment in Bulgaria.

How did Steve start out on the refereeing road? The usual way. Sunday mornings he would play in goal, though cricket was his main sport. He represented Kent at different age groups. Then someone suggested he try refereeing. He began at grassroots level without the slightest thought he would become one of England’s best.

But then … isn’t that how we all started? The question is … might there be another Steve Bennett within the ranks of the Spartan South Midlands League? Indeed, might it be YOU?