Quality of KDL refereeing has risen but numbers are falling

EVERYONE involved and associated with the game would agree that the standard of refereeing in the county has improved significantly in recent years and that has been proved by the fact that a few Kerry referees have officiated at League of Ireland games.

History was made by the Kerry Referees Society this year with Siobhan O’Mahoney receiving a national award for her prowess at refereeing as well as her tremendous work in other capacities with the Kerry Referees Society.

However, due to retirements and other commitments it now has reached a point where there is a scarcity of referees in the county.

A few of Kerry’s best referees have chosen to follow a different path with Kevin O’Regan becoming a Referee’s Assessor, Stuart Templeman choosing the become manager of Killarney Athletic while it is understood that a couple of more top referees will be taking a break from refereeing next season.

Adrian Grimes has been out for a long time with a leg injury while award winning referee Siobhan O’Mahoney has also been out with injury.

League of Ireland Referee Noel Mathews joined the Kerry Referees Society this season and he is a great acquisition.

It is a time consuming job and many are not able to fit being a referee around their family commitments.

With matches on Saturday and Sundays these are the days off that facilitate families getting together.

Such involvement can impact on family life and it is understandable that family life comes first at the end of the day.

Of course the most compelling reason why so many decline to take up refereeing is that it is a thankless job that can lead to a lot of verbal abuse being thrown in your direction from players and team officials.

Everyone would agree that it is a very difficult job to do as there is only a split second opportunity to make a decision and this decision can impact on the outcome of a game.

The referee has only one pair of eyes while there is a forest of eyes watching the game, all with their own opinion.

The big problem referees face is judging offside. To be fair it is an impossible job as you would need eyes behind your head to do it properly.

The one thing I have noticed in recent years is that now referees are given much more respect than they were given a decade ago.

This is mainly do to the fact that they are well protected by the KDL and the Referees Society who are quick to react and take action should anything untoward happen on the playing pitch where referees are targeted.

At present a recruitment drive is being planned for the New Year with a Referee’s Beginners course to he held in Tralee in January at The Rose Hotel.

This is an opportunity for former players to give something back to the game and it is widely recognised that former players make the best referees as they have the experience of involvement in the game.

The course will be held on January 13 and 14 from 9am to 5pm each day.

Kerry’s most senior FAI Referee’s Assessor in Kerry is James McCarthy and he has given a lifetime of service to the game both as a player and a referee.

There are three FAI Assessors in Kerry - James McCarthy, Michael ‘Fox’ O’Connor and Kevin O Regan.