How to become a football referee. Advice from referees. How does the brigade get to the stadium?

As children, many boys in Germany dream of becoming famous football players. Later, realizing that this is impossible, most of them are content with sitting on the sofa in front of the TV. But almost everyone has the opportunity to become famous on the football field without being a player. After all, you can become an arbitrator!

First - already at the age of 14 - you need to undergo special training at the regional football union and receive the right to referee children's and youth games. This is useful both for a better understanding of football and for the development of personal qualities, says Stephan Osnabrügge, manager of one of the German football associations. Osnabrugge himself was both an arbitrator and an instructor of arbitrators. The initial course of study lasts up to five weeks and ends with at least one theoretical exam. At the first games, the newly appointed referee is supervised by a mentor.

All of his games become practical exams for the referee. By successfully conducting them, the referee “grows” from the youth league to the Bundesliga and international matches. The most capable judges rise one or two grades per year. An ambitious referee cannot “sit too long” at one level, if only because of the age limit, explains Eugen Strigel, a member of the refereeing commission of the German Football Association (DFB), who was also involved in training referees in the past.

You don't become an arbitrator for the money

After 45 years, the referee has no right to enter the field - these are the conditions of FIFA. But before that, you definitely need to work for several years in both the second league and the Bundesliga. This means that a person must begin refereeing German Football Association games at the latest at the age of 20.

In this case, the arbitrator has no material interest. He receives from 15 to 50 euros per game. True, those who reach the Bundesliga and the international level receive significantly more - thousands of euros per game in the first league.

Red card during the Bundesliga match "Hamburg - Stuttgart"

Stefan Osnabrugge believes that this is logical, because according to the rules of the football association, the referee must be on site the day before the game and leave only the next day. In addition, he must always be ready to go to the game - this is one of the measures to prevent “custom matches”. In general, it is impossible to combine sports refereeing with some kind of permanent, important and responsible work, and therefore judges must be paid well.

And besides, the referee must constantly think about his fitness and train a lot, because the more important the game, the higher the speed of the players. But, according to Eugen Striegel, the most difficult problem for a football referee is the psychological load.

One against all

Not everyone can work under the picky and contradictory “control” of tens of thousands of excited fans. You need to be able to control yourself. You need to be independent, confident, decisive and clear. You can’t go too far, you can’t be too soft. You can't make big mistakes too often.

And it's not at all easy. After all, out of 80 thousand referees registered with the German Football Association, only 42 people are allowed to play in the first and second Bundesliga games. And only 10 German referees are included in FIFA lists and can work at international matches.

FIFA has four female referees, and one of them is German Bibiana Steinhaus. Three German referees are part of the top group and can referee UEFA games. Three referees from one country is the maximum according to UEFA rules and proof of the high quality of training of German referees.

Many people believe that it is almost impossible to get to the field where sports matches are taking place, and for this you need to do something supernatural. Trying to find out how to become a sports judge, people come across unreliable information and are still no closer to obtaining their cherished profession. First you need to find out what the official name of a sports judge is. They are called arbitrators or referees. Such specialists are trained in special sports and referee schools. To get there, a person must either pass the exams on his own or try to contact the sports refereeing board. There is now a large shortage of such specialists in Russia, so anyone with sufficient physical, moral and ethical training can become a judge. Training lasts from several months to two years.

To become a professional sports referee, a person must master the rules of the sport to which he wishes to devote his life. Red card, penalty, run, throw-in - every sport has its own terms that denote one or another concept, and you need to know them by heart. Usually future judges are taught all this in sports schools. There they study the rules recognized by the world board, discuss controversial issues and the use of all these nuances on the field. They are also taught to properly monitor what is happening on the playing field. Sometimes the field size is several tens of meters, and it is incredibly difficult to keep track of what is happening. That is why a judge must not only know all the rules of the sport, but also be able to apply them in practice. To test the qualifications of a judge, exams are held, the passing of which determines a person’s future in this profession.

The work of a judge is difficult not only in terms of the rules applied on a daily basis, but also in terms of physical preparation. Together with the players, referees run tens of kilometers during the entire match. Together with the basketball players, the referees rush around the playing court to better see whether the teams are following the rules. Due to the enormous physical exertion, sports schools constantly organize endurance training, which not everyone is able to cope with. It is also very important that the future judge is able to pass all existing standards to qualify him as a “Young Referee”. Now there are no age restrictions in this profession. That is why you can start your career as a judge either at 18 or at 50 years old. However, regardless of a person’s age, he must pass all physical education standards together with his colleagues. It is because of this nuance that it is very difficult to achieve success in such a sports career.

The future judge will have to go through several stages of training before becoming a professional arbitrator. The experience of the referee also plays an important role here. After passing all the standards and exams, the specialist receives the title “Young Referee”. Now he can referee matches, but no one will allow him to do this without practice. That is why for the first few years such specialists work at semi-professional level matches. When it comes to football, an inexperienced sports referee is placed on the sidelines to monitor compliance with specific rules, for example, the absence of offside. A whole team of referees often works at matches, and among their colleagues, the newcomer occupies the lowest level of the hierarchy. However, he gradually passes the standards, continues training, and masters different aspects of the profession. Depending on a person’s qualifications, the level of competitions at which he can work also changes. The highest level is international matches.

In Soviet times, those wishing to become referees had to send their legs ready to run on the football field to the local federations. There, seminars on the rules, physical training classes and other events were organized for volunteer referees that contributed to the education of a referee. In Russian times, the situation has changed, if at all, not much. Those interested still need to find the address of the city, regional or regional football federation and contact them for information. In some cities there are schools or centers for young referees.
Residents of the Moscow and St. Petersburg regions are luckier than others - they can become students of the Football Referee Center of Andrei Budogossky or the Academy of Sports Referee of Nikolai Levnikov.

“There is almost no interest in this sport either in Moscow or in Russia as a whole. There are separate pockets into which enthusiasts are still throwing brushwood, and that’s all,” Igor Ter said in a recent interview with SE about athletics. Hovhannisyan. For now, refereeing is also developing in a “local way” - where enthusiasm has not dried up, where there are teachers, where there are Premier League referees from whom one can follow an example. Notice how many Nizhny Novgorod residents have recently entered the major leagues following Igor Egorov. If you wish, you can find on the Internet more than one representative of the Moscow State University of Instrument Engineering and Informatics who picked up a whistle, having “infected” it from Maxim Layushkin.

It is clear that there are also judicial dynasties. The Baskakovs, Bezborodovs, Budanovs, Budogosskys, Veselovskys, Doroshenkos, Evstigneevs, Zuevs, Kirillovs, Kovalevs, Kuznetsovs, Lapochkins, Levnikovs, Kayumovs, Matyunins, Mostovoys, Stepanishchevs, Shaveikos - the sons followed in the footsteps of their fathers. Sorry, I probably didn’t remember everyone. The lists of referees include well-known names in football: Tarkhanov, Latysh, Oborin, Verulidze. Cheban Jr. switched from volleyball. I also decided to become an arbitrator.

New Egorovs and Zakharovs are coming to refereeing. True, there are fewer and fewer of them - ending your playing career and becoming a referee is often not allowed by the age limit. Recently, rejuvenation has become fashionable in Europe. We decided to follow the same principles - start as early as possible and finish no later than 45 years. But why not take an example from England, where often 50-year-old referees run around the field along with football players in black or yellow?

Nikolay LEVNIKOV: “WE CANNOT ACCEPT EVERYONE WHO WANTS TO ACCEPT”

Member of the UEFA Referee Committee, Chairman of the RFU Inspection Committee on the training of young referees in the country and the work of the Academy of Sports Referee, of which he is the director.

A young man wants to become a referee. Should he study for some time in courses, in a special school, in a sports academy? Or can he come to the city or regional football federation, pass the exams and start officiating at matches?
- In principle, it used to be like this: in order to referee the games of the city championship, you had to contact the federation and pass an exam on the rules of the game. Subsequently, such a referee had a chance to get into professional football. Starting this year, a different decision has been made: if you intend to referee matches at a higher level (starting from the third league), you must undergo training at one of the young referee schools accredited by the RFU Referee Committee. The training course consists of three levels - the last of them, the “Talents and Mentors” program, provides the opportunity to referee matches in professional football in the future

How many judicial schools, academies, centers are there today?
- Operates 10-15. The centers are based on enthusiasts and each one works on his own, so everything depends on the experience, qualifications and worldview of the leader. From this year, we hope, accredited schools will work according to a single program.

Who finances them or will finance them?
- I can speak about the experience of those schools that exist not only on paper. Andrei Budogossky found a sponsor for his judge training center. And, for example, our academy now has a partner. In principle, you don't need a lot of money. It is necessary to find a place for training, including a gym, or better yet, an arena. So that during practical lessons future referees understand what they want from them and what they will do on the football field. Of course, you need to pay some kind of compensation to the teacher who shares knowledge and experience for two hours. Equipment and inventory? Everyone pays three thousand rubles for the entire period of study. In return, he receives all referee equipment - flags, whistles, cards, tracksuit. Plus knowledge and the opportunity to train.

In the Budogossky center you need to study for three years, but with you?
- Mandatory period - one year. After this, you become a member of the panel of judges and begin practical judging. Then, by decision of the presidium of the collegium, the most active ones are invited to the second year of study. My foreign colleagues envy me and say that they would love to open a school like this.

Who or what is stopping them?
- You need to be an enthusiast, have a gift for teaching, and love this business. Love very much. There are schools - for example, in Portugal, the Spaniards opened something similar. But in most countries the courses are short: in Italy - two months, in Germany - two weeks. Then you get to the local federation and start refereeing at the lowest level.

Are your students mostly local kids?
- Mostly. Surprisingly, four out-of-towners came this year. We got a job in St. Petersburg and attended classes.

Do I understand correctly that if I live beyond the Urals, I actually have nowhere to study refereeing?
- Why? A school for young referees has been opened in Komsomolsk-on-Amur under Sergei Matsyura. I know that they are actively creating schools in Vladivostok and Khabarovsk. The ice has broken! Now training centers are being actively opened in Rostov-on-Don, Krasnodar, Yaroslavl, and Kursk. Igor Zakharov is trying to found a school in Kaluga to work according to the scheme we proposed.

Are there really that many people who want to study to become a judge?
- In St. Petersburg we encountered a problem. Now we even have to conduct a selection process - there are not enough resources and opportunities to accept everyone. Last year there were 84 applicants, 64 were retained, and 52 completed the course. This year there were already 90 applicants. And the maximum group size with which one can work normally in our conditions is 55-60 people.

What is the age range?
- From 15 years old. The oldest this year was 27-28. But they understood perfectly well that the age for judging is already considerable. They say that we are still interested and we only want to judge the city championship. And last year there was one 32-year-old graduate.

For example, I am a football player and at 28 I was forced to end my career. Is there any point in trying to become an arbitrator?
- At 28 there is still a chance. This is practically the last year when a player of the masters team must make a choice. We believe that before entering professional football, a minimum of five years should pass, during which time you will have to work as a referee at lower levels.
28, or at the latest 29 years old, is the extreme age when you can still complete three levels of training and start working in professional football. There are examples. Vasily Tikhonov, who played for Pskov teams, took his chance and began working in the second division.

Are age restrictions necessary? In England, at the start of the season, Roger East was admitted to the group of referees servicing Premier League matches. He is 48 years old.
- I also think that the age limit used when moving from league to league is incorrect. You take first or second place in the ranking of first division referees, but due to your age you cannot move to the Premier League. I'm sure more experienced people should judge. To work at matches where 25-30 year old footballers play, you need to be no younger than them. Yes, there are talented referees at a young age, but these are exceptions. I am convinced that age limits are not needed at all. No matter how old a person is, if he is talented, honest, independent, strong, why shouldn’t he be judged - even if he is only 5 or 6 years old? 20 matches per year - there will be as many as 100 games. I think in the future all limits will disappear.

Former players who become referees can be understood - they want to stay in football. Why do people from the street become judges?
- We have never had a person who did not play football at least at the yard level. In the third or fourth lesson, everyone talks about themselves. Naturally, one of the questions is why. One assures that he knows how to lead. The other is a champion of justice. There are also those who talk about the desire to earn normal money. They say they read that Premier League referees receive 3 thousand dollars (the referee's fee for a match is 90 thousand rubles - Note by A.B.).

But they see that this profession is thankless. To put it mildly, judges are not favored. Doesn't it bother you?
- At introductory lectures I tell them that they are choosing a profession where there are no stars. A judge cannot become a star. With the exception of Pierluigi Collina, who received the status not without outside help. Although he really deserved it. A judge will never be loved by everyone. But there are also delights - meeting people, the opportunity to come into contact with big, serious football. When you go out onto the field, you help the players’ skills to reveal themselves and reveal the strongest. This is indeed a very interesting profession for men.

Exclusively male?
- Yes. Girls who play football and then become referees have the same character traits that are inherent in men.

Do representatives of the fairer sex study with you?
- Very little. One or two girls graduate every year.

Igor EGOROV: “WE HAVE THE NUMBER OF ARBITRATORS IS POSITIONAL COMPARED TO EUROPE”

One of the best Russian referees of the early 21st century, winner of the SE “Golden Mantle” competition, talks about the age at which referees should start and end their careers.

- How can a young Nizhny Novgorod resident become a judge? Go to study in Moscow?
- Not at all necessary - we have a school for young referees. Lessons are held twice a week. And in the summer there are mainly practical classes.

Do you teach too?
- When there is free time. We'll talk more with the guys about past matches in the first and major leagues. We definitely look at their own games and make comments.

Following you, several people came from Nizhny Novgorod to the top division. Is it correct to say that now there is some advantage in those cities where Premier League referees live?
- It’s always easier when there are referees from the major leagues, pioneers, nearby. And among the rest there are many self-taught people. Today there is a serious problem in training football referees. The number that we have is insignificant compared to developed European countries.

I'm willing to bet here. In some cities in central Russia they believe that the existing referees are quite sufficient to serve not such a large number of regional tournaments.
- The development of refereeing depends on the development of football.

Artificial rejuvenation is now underway. It turns out that the path to refereeing is closed to a person who has played football at a certain level? Could you become an arbitrator in the current situation?
- I came to refereeing at the age of 25. I think I could.

But by today's standards, at that age it seems too late to start studying.
- Everything is relative. And I don't agree with everything.

Don't agree with what?
- With statements that you need to start judging at the age of 15-16. My opinion: a person who has played football reads the game differently. It is easier for him to understand the moments. As a football player, every time you come across refereeing decisions on the field, you already develop certain stereotypes. And subsequently it is easier to judge than for those who do not understand what they are doing on the field and only record what is written in the rules.

You can't argue with that. Familiar coaches from the second division say with regret that the problem with the current referees is that they do not understand football. And there are too many very young referees. Or take 26-year-old Sergei Kostevich. Surely it is very difficult for him to manage players on the field who are much older than him.
- Certainly. We also need to take into account our mentality. And players who don’t really know Kostevich yet allow themselves to do things that go unpunished. When there is an authoritative referee on the field, teams behave differently.

Does it make sense to introduce age limits?
- Don't know. But the last of them led to the loss of three or four good referees. And they could take on some of the matches that are difficult for young people.

Based on your experience, could you guess what the age of a football referee is? How old can a person be judged on average, taking into account physical and psychological stress?
- There is nothing wrong with physical activity. The biggest burden is psychological. It's really very difficult. Everyone has their own century - both the football player and the referee. Therefore, in my opinion, setting any boundaries and gaps is blasphemous and wrong.

In England, people are judged at 50 years of age.
- Whether we like it or not, the rule: the faster and further you run, the better you judge - does not work.

The vast majority of arbitrators, when finishing their careers, become inspectors. You didn't do this. Why?
- I didn’t become an inspector, but that doesn’t mean that I will never become one. I've had enough of it, and so far I'm not really drawn to inspection.

Andrey BUDOGOSSKY: "60 PERCENT OF CANDIDATES FAIL DUE TO HEALTH"

The head of the Football Referee Center, member of the RFU referee committee, RFPL inspector - about his school and modern problems in training referees.

How to apply to your center?
- To become a listener, you need to follow a series of very simple steps. When recruitment is underway, you must send an application to our center’s website. Almost all boys and girls who want to become referees are admitted - there are no entrance exams. But under one condition: there must be a medical certificate that, for health reasons, they can be allowed to fulfill physical training standards and referee football competitions.
After this, we notify students about enrollment and the start time of classes. They usually sit down at their desks in early October - at the Russian State University of Physical Culture and Sports, at the Department of Theory and Methods of Football.

How long is the training?
- First course - from October to the end of December. We provide basic training, study the rules of the game and the basics of physical training for a referee. Two exams are taken - the Cooper test and the theory and methodology of refereeing. In addition, we conduct an in-depth medical examination. You need to know how ready a person is to serve as an arbitrator. If the student is talented, we try to reduce the period of study as much as possible and transfer some of them to the second year in January, where we teach refereeing in practice.
In total, students study for three years, including the fourth year, which we conventionally call the group of higher sportsmanship. These are the referees who can really get into amateur football.

Do you need to come to class every day?
- As a rule, at first once or twice a week. In the third year - more often. We conduct theoretical classes in the evenings. Special training takes place mainly on Saturdays, in the first half of the day. Judging takes place on Sundays - it can take the whole day.

Who teaches at your center?
- Experienced teachers, many of whom have advanced degrees. For example, the general director of the center Evgeny Turbin is a candidate of pedagogical sciences, Evgeny Novoselov is a candidate of medical sciences. Our teachers are current arbitrators Alexey Nikolaev, Sergey Karasev, Alexey Eskov, Anton Kobzev, Alexander Bogdanov, famous judges Alexey Spirin, Andrey Butenko, Viktor Kulagin, Igor Zakharov.

Classes are held in Moscow, there is no correspondence training - it turns out that non-residents cannot get to you?
- Almost 40 percent of listeners come from other regions. For example, we have very close relations with the Samara Regional College of Judges - six of its representatives are studying. I asked them how much they spend on travel each time. “Two thousand seven hundred rubles,” they say. They said that they had been saving money for a whole year.

How much does it cost to study at your school?
- Now seven and a half thousand rubles per course. This money does not allow us to fully cover the costs of maintaining the center. We have other sources - funds are provided by our friends and colleagues. I want to emphasize that in all 15 years of work we have not received a single penny from the Russian Football Union.

What does a graduate diploma provide? Does it represent some kind of pass to this or that division?
- The certificate issued upon completion of the fourth year, of course, has no legal force. The profession of a football referee has not yet been fixed, so to speak.

What percentage of your graduates stay in football?
- On average, after the fourth year, 10-12 people graduate into the big judicial life. 45-80 students begin their studies. Let me give you the following statistics: today 45.4 percent of Premier League referees are our graduates. Almost half.

How old are the youngest and oldest students at your center?
- Maxim Layushkin became the oldest in his time (graduated at the age of 30. - Note by A.B.). The youngest? There is, for example, Gleb Golubin. He was born in 1996.

There is a sharp rejuvenation of the Russian judiciary. Does this mean that after finishing his career there is no point for a football player to come to your academy?
- We are very wary of the trend that exists in professional football. When a person comes at 30-32 years old with the desire to become a referee, if he is talented, he should probably referee. And rejuvenation is not a panacea and not the path our refereeing should take. Premature exclusion from the lists of such referees as Baskakov, Sukhina, Egorov, Maly is not the most correct way. In my opinion. A judge is a piece of goods, like cutting a diamond. To nurture it, you need attention and delicate steps.

Why do young people come to refereeing?
- We always ask you to fill out a form so that they can tell you about the purpose of the parish. The desired minimum is to judge the Russian championship. Ambitious enough. I graduated from VGIK at one time, then everyone who was asked dreamed of becoming an actor. But not everyone managed to achieve this goal. So it is with us. Initially, everyone wants to be a judge of the highest category.

Will they be healthy enough?
- At the very first lesson we tell students that they must be physically prepared. Then we conduct a comprehensive medical examination. Trouble for the nation! About 60 percent of young people are not functionally ready to work in football!

You are one of the few who have been training judges for so many years. Is it difficult to be a monopolist to some extent and maintain your brand?
- It's always difficult to be first. We strive not only to be them, but also to work using new technologies. It’s fortunate that we have good relations with the Nikolai Levnikov Academy and that we never oppose ourselves to each other. But the trouble is that in our Russia there are still no other organizations capable of seriously training judges. I wish it were different.

Information on how to develop the skills of aspiring basketball referees

The situation in our basketball is such that there are problems not only with the emergence of new competitive players and coaches, but also with referees. There are currently practically no referees at top world and continental championships.

I have heard questions more than once, and the site periodically receives requests about how to become a representative of this profession in Russia? Where to start, where to study, how to get practice, and then a license and assignments for serious matches and improve your skills? Today we will try to understand these issues. Not everyone can become a professional player or coach but wants to stay in basketball, so why not go the officiating route.

First, let's decide on the license. It is issued for 1 year and is required only for servicing matches of the Russian Championship. To get it, you need to pass 3 exams:

1. Basketball rules and interpretations (for 25 questions you need to give at least 20 correct answers).
2. Regulations of the championship and championship of Russia.
3. Physical fitness test “Metronome”.

Top referees, and there are about 120 of them who regularly serve the championships of the Premier League and Super League (women and men), take the rules twice a year, and physical training - the Metronome test once. Those. If they pass a regional seminar in the fall, they are admitted to the central seminar and take the same exams there. Those who successfully pass them receive a license for a year.

In January, a central off-season seminar is held, at which changes in the rules are highlighted, mistakes are worked on, some criteria are set, and a theoretical exam is passed only according to the rules and a running standard for physical fitness “Metronome” for field judges. If the current judge does not pass the winter exam, then he is not allowed to participate in the second half of the season. Such cases do happen.

Where to start? We must start, of course, with city competitions - first children's, then student's and adults'. In many regions there are Schools for Young Arbitrators, classes in which are held free of charge. Beginner referees undergo a certain course and then, over time, begin to be involved in the games of the city children's championship. After a person gains experience and practice, the refereeing committee of the regional federation recommends him to the Russian championship, but there is also a selection system that allows him to referee children's competitions Russian Championships. Then step by step, year after year on the way to the Super League, Premier League, VTB League. and FIBA.

Where to get knowledge? One of the sites that is suitable for obtaining current theoretical knowledge on basketball refereeing is ReferyPro.ru. This information portal contains the latest information on refereeing in Russia and the world. There is a lot of interesting and multifaceted stuff there: teaching materials, rules, video clips and recordings of seminars. The official VKONTAKTE representative office of this unique basketball portal for beginners, professional referees, as well as for all basketball fans is located at vk.com/referypro. The ReferyPro website was created by the School of Young Arbitrators (SMA), headed by its head - an international judge and the head of the educational and methodological commission of the refereeing department of the RFB Fedor Borisovich Dmitriev with the support of the Moscow Regional Basketball Federation (MOFB).

In which regions are ShMAs held? In addition to Moscow and the Moscow region, these are St. Petersburg, Samara, Pskov, Omsk, Izhevsk, Novosibirsk, Kaluga, Khabarovsk, Rostov, Krasnodar, Voronezh, Yekaterinburg and some other cities. In particular, in Moscow there are free lessons on Tuesdays. In the Moscow region - on Tuesdays, Fridays at the Moscow Basketball Federation or at games. But all this still functions separately; there is no centralized and organized work yet. A number of European countries already have established programs for training judges, but we are still only on the way to this.

Last year we had about 15 FIBA ​​judges. This one includes 12 FIBA ​​judges from Russia. Two years ago, the Euroleague was served by three judges: Semyon Ovinov, Ilya Putenko and Alexey Davydov. Then only Semyon remained, although he gets more Eurocup matches. In addition, FIBA ​​has now changed the system. It has become similar to football - the national federation, based on its rating, together with FIBA, determines the circle of referees who are worthy of working at FIBA ​​matches. They must meet the requirements of the European and national championships and have no violations.

What judging events are coming up? In the near future, young judges will be leaving for a seminar in Sweden with a delegation of 12 people. This will be the ScaniaCup tournament. In May, the educational and methodological commission of the Department of Professional Refereeing, together with the Moscow Regional Basketball Federation, will hold two camps based on the Moscow Regional Championship among boys and girls at the sports base in Pokrovsky. Judges will be invited from all regions of Russia, as well as from Belarus, maybe from Kazakhstan. This will be the 10th such camp in 4 years. In June-July there will be a trip to a referee clinic in the NBA or NCAA. Fedor Dmitriev, together with one of our judges, will go to study and exchange experiences with those who conduct this event. This will be part of the work of the educational and methodological commission. This happened already in 2016. Plus, in June, at the invitation of the Basketball Federation of Kazakhstan, a large camp is planned for the third time in Astana to work mainly with young referees. There will be 4 days of workshop and 3 days of on-site work with feedback and video analysis of each judge.

Fedor Dmitriev shared about the work of the School of Young Arbitrators and his mission:

“It is now most relevant and effective for me to work with young people - from 14 to 25-30 years old. Maintain the continuity of generations and train young personnel in the right direction, who will be selected by the federation to serve matches of the National Championship. Recently, together with Evgeniy Ostrovsky and Alexey Davydov, we successfully passed the FIBA ​​national instructor exams. Therefore, we would like to pass on the knowledge we have acquired to future generations. I consider it my task, as the chairman of the Educational Committee and the head of the School of Young Arbitrators of the Moscow Region, not only to competently train young people, but also to monitor the correct implementation. Now I’m adjusting my training program to involve young guys more, so that they don’t listen so much as do it themselves under our control. This is the most important thing at this time, and this is what FIBA ​​now requires.

We try to set the required criteria so that they understand the difference in the mentalities of Russian people and Europeans. After all, it is important not only to know the rules of judging, you need to apply them correctly. FIBA itself is constantly working on a training program for young referees, but we need to adapt their recommendations to our country in accordance with the requirements of European and international competitions.”

The best young judges from all regions of the country go to Prifibov clinics and seminars throughout the year. Now the Department of Professional Refereeing has developed a mentoring program, according to which 10 young referees from the TOP-50 best referees in Russia according to the rating are assigned mentors from among the five current FIBA ​​referees.

Every year, the educational and methodological commission prepares two manuals on various types of training for judges: psychological, physical, psycho-physiological; on communication and interaction; methodological recommendations and practical advice. 6 such manuals have already been released. We receive positive feedback on them, that is. this is useful and we will move in this direction.

Another important task that faces us - teachers who must prepare referees - is to develop and form simple human qualities so that a referee, in addition to recording fouls and violations, can understand basketball, the profession and the complexity of the work of a coach and players. In a word - to be human! This is very relevant today."

What is our representation in Europe? Last year we had about 15 FIBA ​​judges. This one includes 12 FIBA ​​judges from Russia. Two years ago, the Euroleague was served by three judges: Semyon Ovinov, Ilya Putenko and Alexey Davydov. Then only Semyon remained, although he gets more Eurocup matches. In addition, FIBA ​​has now changed the system. It has become similar to football - the national federation, based on its rating, together with FIBA, determines the circle of referees who are worthy of working at FIBA ​​matches. They must meet the requirements of the European and national championships and have no violations.

Today, a football referee is not a profession, it is a hobby and, probably, an interesting activity for a person. Refereeing becomes a profession when a referee acquires certain professional qualities and reaches certain heights, that is, he officiates at matches of professional football teams. Referees are mainly people who have not been able to prove themselves in football like players: they want to extend their sports life associated with football.

Anyone who loves and understands football can try themselves as a football referee.. The main requirement for a person who wants to take the path of a football referee is the desire and diligence to “work” on the field. There is no age limit for starting refereeing, but if you want to achieve more in refereeing, refereeing matches of the Russian championship, international matches, then it is best to start from 16-24 years old. A If you want to officiate at city or regional championship matches, you can start refereeing at any age.

The education of an aspiring judge is not the determining factor for starting a career, but as in any industry, a specialist with a higher education will always have an advantage. The desire to referee and give your all to football is absolutely necessary! An important factor in successful refereeing is the physical training of the referee! You will have to monitor your physical fitness and arrange training for yourself.

Psychological stress is the most important problem for a judge. A football referee must have certain psychological qualities that will help him successfully cope with the psychological pressure of players, coaches and the football community. The arbitrator must be psychologically stable, decisive in his actions, he must confidently and clearly make decisions.

Having talked a little about the requirements for football referees, let's move on to specifics. What to do and where to go if you want to try yourself as a football referee?

First of all, you need to find out information about the existence. Call or visit your Federation and find out information about judicial recruitment and recruitment requirements. Also, if you live in a big city such as St. Petersburg or Moscow, find out if there are special schools for training football referees.

As practice shows, the Football Federation is recruiting people who want to become football referees before the start of the season. Preparation comes down to the fact that before the upcoming football season of the championship of your city or region, a seminar is held for referees. At this seminar you will study the Rules of the Game and their interpretation, analyze football moments in accordance with the latest FIFA recommendations. Typically, the teachers of these seminars are football referees from your Football Federation who officiate at professional football matches. After you have listened to lectures on the Rules of the Game, you will need to pass a theoretical exam. But in order to start refereeing, you will also have to pass the physical fitness standard.

Upon successful completion of the theoretical exam and physical fitness standard, you will be included in the list of referees serving the upcoming football season in your city or region.