Response To Complaint: Re: Referee At Wigan

Inter.it
By Matthew Jones
October 17 2005

Response to a complaint made by a disgruntled fan regarding the performance of the officials at the Wigan vs Newcastle United fixture.

Dear Disgruntled Fan,

Thank you for your email regarding the performance of the match
officials at the Wigan v Newcastle fixture. We are sorry that you were
disappointed with the performance of the referee in that match.

There is not a formal mechanism for individuals to complain about
referees' performances and decisions. However, I thought it would be
helpful for you to know the process undertaken by the Professional Games
Match Officials, the body which employs all the referees, to monitor,
scrutinise and improve the referees performances throughout the season.


Please be assured that the performance of the referee in this fixture,
together with all performances by the Select Group Referees, will be
reviewed with him in detail in a number of different ways. There is
constant monitoring of referees' performances, with a view to improving
their performance from week to week. Referees are given both positive
feedback and are appropriately criticised if it is felt that decisions
were wrong.

The referee's technical performance in a match is assessed by the
Independent Assessor, and their overall handling of the match is
reported on by an Independent Match Delegate, who is often a former
player, manager or coach. These reports focus on the referee's fitness,
his control of the match, the way that he deals with key incidents as
well as the way he communicates his decisions. These reports are shared
with the referees on both a formal and informal basis. The aim is to
help the referee to improve his performance, taking into account the
scrutiny of each performance.

There are a range of tools available to help referees, including
coaching, fortnightly feedback sessions and technology. In addition,
the Select Group of Referees meet on a fortnightly basis, giving all the
referees an opportunity to communicate and discuss issues of concern and
ensure a greater consistency of performance.

We are sorry that you feel your enjoyment of this match was marred, but
the aim of the Professional Game Match Officials is to help referees to
improve their performance from week to week.

I do hope the above helps clarify how we are constantly trying to
improve and maintain standards of refereeing.

Thank you for taking the time to make us aware of your views.

Yours sincerely

C Hall
Senior Administrator PGMOL