Outgoing refs chief Willie Barrett: GAA officials facing 'demanding season' training alone

'A referee has to get himself up for a demanding season as well, but he has to do so on his own, or maybe training with one other person at the most'. File photo

Willie Barrett, outgoing chairman of the GAA’s National Referees Development committee, says officials preparing for the inter-county season — whenever it begins — are dealing with “one of the most difficult situations a referee will encounter”.

Earlier this week it was revealed that inter-county training may resume on April 19, with matches possibly following in May. Barrett points out that referees have been preparing solo for the resumption of action.

“A referee has to get himself up for a demanding season as well, but he has to do so on his own, or maybe training with one other person at the most.

“For him to get the real hard training in on a regular basis, in the one venue and without the support and encouragement of a group, is very difficult — I think it’s one of the most difficult situations a referee will encounter.

“This is something that isn’t always taken into consideration for referees.” 

With crowds unlikely to return until vaccinations ramp up, games may be played in near-empty stadia, as happened last season.

“It has to be difficult for players to get up to the level of championship hurling,” said Barrett.

“Particularly at the very start of the championship, without supporters in the ground — and it’s exactly the same for referees. There’s no question about that.

“There’s a significant amount that goes on before the game that gets you ready for it, almost unknown to yourself.

“You’re driving down to the game and walking up to the venue through the crowds, you’re picking up on the excitement from people, how much they’re enjoying the occasion.

“That all feeds into the day. It makes the occasion, and that rubs off on everybody, that sense of pride of being involved in the event.

For a referee that reinforces the sense that this is a very important occasion, and once the clock gets to 3pm or 3.30, he knows he has to be ready, because it’s all building up inside him as well.

“The referee’s telling his team that as well, giving them the message — ‘this is a huge game, lads, look at the crowd coming in’.

“That’s changed. Last year there were no crowds, no sense of expectation. To comply with Covid regulations referees couldn’t even travel in the same car as the rest of their team, so the referee had to do a lot of work in the dressing-room before the game which in previous years could have been done in the car.” 

Willie Barrett: 'A referee has to get himself up for a demanding season as well, but he has to do so on his own'

The absence of background noise means contributions from those on the sideline are audible to officials.

“I was in Croke Park last year for a couple of games and I’d have been very conscious of that.

“Even there you could hear a lot of what was going on from the sidelines, a lot of what was being said. That’s totally different, and it’s more challenging for referees without the crowds, just like the players.

“With a crowd of thousands roaring, a referee doesn’t have much time to be dwelling on something that happened 20 seconds ago in the game.

Now, though, someone on the sideline will come across loud and clear if he thinks the referee made the wrong call. In the old days he was wasting his time because of the noise.

There are positives as well, adds Barrett. Instead of complaining, Croke Park saw the opportunity to introduce some fresh faces to top-tier refereeing.

“I felt it was an opportunity to introduce some new referees to inter-county championship games and I think they’ll benefit from that going forward, handling their first games without a crowd being present.

“But you’d also have to be confident that those guys would be able to come through a situation with a full crowd present.

“To be on the national panel they’d have come through county finals and big colleges games as well, they’d have experienced crowds along their way up. They’ll be ready when the crowds come back.”