Sport, love or loathe it, is one of the great talking points of life.  Every day there is a new story, and subsequently new opinions are formed on various sporting topics.   You read about sport to either learn an opinion, assist you in forming one, or to see a counter-argument to your own.  Depending on whether you are a player, a coach or a fan, your opinion will differ greatly to that of each other and more so to that of your rivals.  But do any of these opinions really matter? 

In a world of sporting mania, and, particularly, football fanaticism, opinions are ten a penny.  But, in football, only one opinion really matters.  The opinion that ultimately decides the destiny of any match, league, cup or championship.  What opinion is this?  The opinion of the referee; it is the ref who calls the shots, makes the decisions and confines the scoreline to the history books.  The players, coaches, press and fans are, essentially, peripheral to the referee and the laws of the game.

In Scotland, refereeing isn’t yet a full time occupation.  William Collum, a FIFA International referee, juggles the responsibilities of this job with a career which isn’t dissimilar to controlling a bunch of high-octane, high-spirited, high-income individuals.  Just substitute ‘high-income’ with ‘high-school’.  But, as he pointed out to In The Winning Zone, having a referee as a teacher carries its advantages for the youngsters in his classroom: “The pupils I teach are more enthusiastic than anyone.  They know the odd question about a decision can give them a couple of minutes escape from class work!”

Escaping is a luxury that is ill-afforded to a referee, especially in the atmospheric cauldron of the stadia that houses many Scottish Premier League sides, where William often plies his trade.  “With great power comes great responsibility” is the oft quoted burden of a world renowned web-slinging comic book hero, but being the man in charge of a football match can demand an equally super-human responsibility.  To cite another heroic figure, Bill Shankly: “Some people believe football is a matter of life and death.  I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.”  His decision making must be accurate at all times, and he admits that his knowledge is tested in every match.

“You make lots of hard decisions. Sometimes we make mistakes because we are only human.  However, statistically it has been proven that we get most decisions correct.”

However, just as important to any referee is fitness.  You can’t control a game if you can’t keep up with it.  And to maintain pace with a professional match the official needs be as fit as the players.  If not fitter; William is expected to follow the ball for the entire 90 minutes, a demand rarely made of a centre-half or a winger. 

“To referee at the top level you have to be very fit. I train six days out of seven.  Most of these sessions range from road runs to track work and also training sessions on the football pitch itself. On average in an SPL match you would cover approximately 10 kilometres.”

Thankfully he isn’t alone in preparing for such heart busting activity.  “The SFA and UEFA are very supportive in this area. We use Polar Heart rate monitors and all of our training data is analysed by sports scientists. We are given guides on fluid intake and general eating habits. I think all top referees can now be categorised as athletes in their own right. You are required to be very dedicated when it comes to training and fitness.”

Yet, despite the effort, knowledge and commitment William and his colleagues give to their jobs, referees are vastly under appreciated, and often deplored, as we all know.  A referee requires a special kind of resilience to endure the wrath of football fans in their thousands.  So how does he cope with the rants from the stands?

“Strangely enough you don’t really hear the crowd. I think you switch off from the noise and just concentrate on the job at hand. I have never been swayed by a crowd yet. However, at the matches with fewer spectators you tend to hear the more interesting personal comments!”

And, in such events, he is respectfully reflective of the assailant’s cause: “Sometimes the pressure gets to these people – the men in black are easy targets. I only wish that the people who are so critical actually knew the laws of the game.  Their comments are, at times, inaccurate.”

Considering William has been refereeing now for literally half his life, (he started at 14, he is now 28, the youngest class one referee in Scotland) he knows the rules of the game well enough to judge an incorrect comment when he hears one.  And, still very young for a referee, (A prominent Scottish football writer dubbed him ‘The Peter Pan of pea-blowing’) didn’t a career playing the sport, as opposed to officiating it, ever appeal to him?

“When I was younger, I loved playing football. However, after one game as a goalkeeper for my primary school football team I realised I would never make it as a player – we lost 17-0!  I noticed an advert in a newspaper and decided to give the refereeing a try. That was back in 1993 and since then I have never looked back. It is important to start at a relatively young age to become a top referee.”

He started at a young age, and he was also fortunate to be trained under the stewardship of one of Scotland’s most famous names in football: “My biggest influence has to be my personal coach, Hugh Dallas.  Hugh reached the pinnacle of the refereeing world and I have learned so much from him over the years. He continues to work hard at improving my match. I don’t think I could be coached by a more professional and knowledgeable person from the refereeing world.”

And to learn under the likes of Dallas is of significant benefit to young referees like William, because, like any other job, the profession is becoming increasingly competitive.  To be flying so high at a young age is testament to William’s commitment, because there are many others out there vying for the same place.  Thankfully, however, much like any football team, the rivalry for places is generally jovial.

“The standard of refereeing is very good in Scotland, and competitive in a good way because you know you always have to be on top of your game.  The atmosphere is always very good amongst the referees. We are just another team. The competitive edge does not detract from a closeness and team ethic which is very obvious in the refereeing world.”

Fitness; competition; pressure; criticism; William wasn’t wrong when he said that referees are like athletes in their own right.  They certainly face the same amount of demands.  But obviously there are perks to the job as well.  So what has been the pinnacle of his career so far?  “The biggest highlight of my refereeing career has to be my promotion to the FIFA list of Referees. But any match I referee gives me a buzz, whether it is in the third division or a European appointment. They are all important matches.”

And his ambition for the future?  “I have never been one to set goals or targets. I would just like to keep working hard and learning. I want to be the best I can.  Although one of my biggest ambitions is to referee an Old Firm match.”

Hmmmm.... Not the easiest occasion in the world to enjoy your big day.  But such is the life of a top referee.  So next time you’re tempted to utter profanities in the direction of the whistle blower, spare a thought for the middle man.  He is possibly the most important person on the park.  His opinion on almost every kick of the ball is fundamental to the very essence of the game.  And his opinion must be made in a split second, and it must be right.  Otherwise, as we all know, he will never hear the end of it.

RO

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