Tom is responsible for the day to day running of the RA website and also the RA Facebook page, as well as creating poster and adverts for various events.
Tom re joined the Aldershot RA and recently joined the committee late last year 2013. Tom is currently enjoying his second season as a Level 4 Referee, is a Level 2 licenced referee tutor, and has been refereeing since 2006.
Outside of refereeing, Tom enjoys playing paintball with a local team who attend events nation wide and can also be found teaching new candidates how to become referees as well as improving current referees. We caught up with him to see what makes him ‘tick’…
Why did you start refereeing?
I had been playing football for the same club since under 9’s and a lot of the time my dad would referee the matches. After one game he got fed up of this women giving him abuse and making some comment like ‘I bet your not even qualified!’ This prompted him to attend a Basic referees course which he passed. Once qualified he continued to referee our games and became a Referee Tutor (I think you can see where this is going). After I turned 14 he was running a basic course in sandhurst near to where we live and decided I was going to attend.
Subsequently I passed and here I am now!
What has been your refereeing highlight?
My highlight so far would have to be gaining my Level 4 promotion after failing at the first attempt. It was disappointing at first not to get it first time, but was a real big sense of achievement when I had learnt and improved so much so that one assessor who assessed me previoulsy said ‘You have improved tenfold since I saw you last and definitely deserve it this season!’
What was the toughest position you have been in as a referee?
There have been a few over the years its hard to pick. However it would probably be the time after a game I was stuck in the changing room corridor with the home team manager who started questioning me about a decision that didn’t go his way, which he believed ‘cost him the game’. It got to the point where he was shouting at me from a close distance and everyone had already left so I was alone. I ended up leaving without my match fee, reporting the manager and then having to attend a hearing, which meant facing the manager again!
Luckily I had fellow referees talk me through the whole process so I knew what was going to happen !
What advice would you give to a new referee during their first season?
Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, but make sure you learn from them! Talk with fellow referees and listen to advice or ideas they give you. Just relax and take it one step at a time. If in doubt ask someone, we are always happy to help and answer any questions.
If you have any questions for Tom about refereeing, Aldershot RA, The Website or RA Facebook – drop him an email here!