Q&A with former Premier League, EUROs and World Cup final assistant referee Phil Sharp.

Phil Sharp (Image: Archant)

Q: How did you get into officiating?

A: I was 16 years of age and I saw in a football programme that referees were wanted. At that time I was doing my Duke of Edinburgh award and I wanted something for my ‘in the community’ skills section so I thought why not do the referee course and referee some matches.

I did it and the rest is history.

Q: How do you become qualified to officiate at a high level?

A: It takes a long time, around 10 years. It sounds a lot but if you were going to be a manager for a big company and progress up it does take a while.

But now that people can go on a referee course at the age of 14 you could get to the top by the age of 24, which isn’t that old. You have to be dedicated and committed to it and then you have a good chance to get to the top.

It’s almost like going up a ladder. As a referee you aim to progress up to a higher level and when they want to try you at the next level they will make you an assistant referee. Then, if you are doing really well at that level, you get promoted to referee at that level.

I was going from Southern League linesman to Southern League referee and then Football League assistant referee. I never made it as a Football League referee but my next step was the Premier League as an assistant referee and I was really happy with that.

My career path was almost chosen for me.

Q: What is the hardest thing about being a referee?

A: You have to be committed. If you want to achieve anything in life you have to be committed. If you are a swimmer you have to get up really early to get to the pool. If you are a cyclist you have to get in the miles on your bike etc.

Everything is about commitment and if you are committed to something I always believe you can achieve anything.

Q: What is a good skill to have?

A: I am doing a course with new people. Most of them are 14 and they ask ‘when are we going on the pitch?’ The first thing I get them to do is to find somebody in the group they don’t know and talk to them for five minutes.

So I’m taking them out of their comfort zone and afterwards I explain that as a new referee the first thing you need to do even before you blow the whistle is to meet the managers.

I have to turn up to every match and greet the manager and I have to talk to people whereas young people aren’t used to talking to adults unless it’s their parents, teachers, scouts leader or their sports coach.

It’s a bit of a wake-up call but after the experience they get used to doing it. What I’m trying to do is build their confidence by going to speak to people and it works.

Q: What type of training do you do for officiating?

A: If I was an active referee I would do mostly running. All sorts of running because the referee [covers] a lot of distance whereas an assistant referee only needs to run half of the pitch so [for them it’s more about] sprints. They would do more sidesteps and agility training. A lot of it was running but different forms of running.

Q: What advice do you have to get youngsters into officiating?

A: The minimum age is 14 to become a referee. If you wanted to become a goalkeeper coach or a football coach that age is 16 so there are benefits for 14-year-olds onwards.

You have to think about how many people out there want to make it as a footballer and how many people are actually footballers.

I was just a kid from Hertfordshire and I didn’t aim to go to the World Cup final. I just started doing it for my Duke of Edinburgh award and I got the bug. I loved it.

I got to travel the world and I was involved in the Premier League for 18 years, I’m now retired.

You have to think of what you want out of it. Do you want money out of it or do you see yourself really progressing?

It’s a great opportunity for people who love football and who might not be the best footballer.

But I have been to all the best games with all the players and have travelled the world. It’s a great opportunity. You have to be prepared for the dedication and commitment.

* Phil Sharp is the referee development officer at Herts FA. Visit www.hertfordshirefa.com to find out more about how to get into refereeing.