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www.ladiesgaelic.ie | AUTUMN 2023 | 37 REFEREE Focus Image from previous page: Referee Shane Curley during the 2023 TG4 LGFA All-Ireland Senior Championship Final match between Dublin and Kerry at Croke Park in Dublin. assessor happens a few days later to go through the report. We use the analysis platform Performa Sports on certain games. This provides video from the side and behind the goal and records all the audio from the referee so that we can listen and watch with just the referee voice. Along with this a full breakdown of frees, explanations, communication and signals among other stats are collected and sent to the referee. It is very detailed. Communication is absolutely vital in refereeing and it is an area I try to keep to a high standard on the pitch. Players' are very appreciative when a foul is explained to them or if they seek clarification. If you could ask coaches to improve their coaching of one aspect of the game, what would it be? This would have to be the tackle! The same non technical fouls keep appearing every day on the pitch. These are mainly down to poor tackling by players. If a player can master the tackle this is a huge advantage to the team. Many teams use many statistics nowadays for example, to monitor free counts and turnovers to name but a few, but I believe monitoring the type of fouls that lead to the free in the first instance would help coaches improve the tackle. Some teams are excellent at this and spend a lot of time with their players educating them. This then shows up on match day with a far less number of frees conceded. 'A player while holding the ball into her body cannot be legally dispossessed. Any attempts to do so shall result in a free being awarded to her team.' Do you referee all year round or do you take an off season? The refereeing season is a year round dedication with competitions that run all the way to mid December. We are currently also preparing for the Pre-League Fitness Test on the 6th of January. There is no split season at this level as competitions merge into one another so we need to be ready to referee at any time during the year. National leagues start in mid January while there are also Post Primary and Third Level competitions in full swing early in the new year. This rolls quickly into Club and Provincial competitions before the All Ireland series starts again. Then it's back to club championship again and the cycle continues. How do you keep fit for your role? This is very important and it's not just physical fitness that is at play. Mental fitness is imperative. Currently I following an injury prevention and strength and conditioning program. We also have a training hub in the province to meet up and train together as referees. This will keep me occupied until the new year and I will add in some recovery sessions also. When competitions are in full swing and there are plenty of games to referee, matches and training need to complement each other. I monitor the games I referee and track them and train accordingly based on the load each week. Some games are very demanding on the body and others can be pedestrian at times. I am always conscious about the volume of games I referee each week. Too many can lead to burn-out and striking that balance is necessary. With games now coming to an end for this year, having a plan to keep the body in good shape is vital. We should not use matches alone to get fit, instead, we need to be fit to referee. What is the most important thing for an aspiring referee to know early in their career? Firstly, have patience with the process and be open to receiving tips from your peers. Refereeing is not for everyone and one has to work at it to improve. Every game is different and take the time to reflect on each performance to improve for the next game. This goes without saying but knowing the rules and keeping up with the play are the most important factors. There can be little argument from anybody if a referee can get this part correct. Traits of having confidence, being consistent and fair, to all players, will help you and remember, you are human! Communicate clearly with signals and explain to players. That being said, humans make mistakes and we as referees need to know that. However, if we don't learn from them, well that's the biggest mistake of them all. Describe how you prepared for Refereeing the Senior All-Ireland Final last August? Once I got the word I had been chosen to referee the final preparation was going to be top of the list. In the week before the final I didn't referee any games as I wanted a clear mind and no distractions. I did some light training and some swimming to relax. I met with my team of umpires at our local football pitch a few days before we went to Dublin and we discussed possible scenarios and reflected on past ones. I also reviewed and watched back some of the games I had refereed during the championship to refresh. Apart from that it was about getting plenty of rest and not thinking too much. I could relate to the past experiences I had in Croke Park also to help me prepare. All these experiences were vital to the preparation. I just couldn't wait for the day to be honest and I enjoyed it immensely. It was a dream come true! Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: A: A: A: A: A: