Simon Haddleton is a 19 year old Competition Organiser and Referee from Warwickshire and he answers some questions below on his varied role...
How did you first become interested in refereeing?
In all honesty before I went on the Competition Organiser Course I had no idea what a referee was, or what their job entailed.
I went on the Competition Organiser (CO) course at Kenilworth Tennis Club and loved the competition element of tennis, the idea that all players need to practice in a match situation is something that I really agree with.
After the CO course I was sent an e-mail from the LTA about further ways to get involved with competition and one was the Referee Course. As it was something new and interesting I decided to go along, and what I discovered was a complex element to tennis which encouraged me to delve further into competition.
When did you hear about the competition organiser course?
I was lucky enough that my home tennis club, Kenilworth Tennis Club, were running a Competition Organiser course and our head coach, James Roe, encouraged all of the young leaders to attend as it was a new initiative from the LTA. The course was short, only 2 hours long, but extremely informative, incisive and inspiring. The course outlines the importance of competition within a coaching programme, with the essential details of how to implement a well organised and effective event. I still use the resources I gained at the course which shows how useful they have proved.
What did you take from your experience at the Competition Organisers’ Camp at the NTC in November 2010? Did you receive any advice which encouraged you to take up refereeing further?
The Competition Organiser Camp at the NTC was a fantastic opportunity for all young referees and competition organisers. It was a hub of enthusiasm and ideas which was great to take on board and implement in my future competitions. It was great to be able to talk to and learn from more experienced referees at the camp who told me that local county offices are constantly searching for referees and best place to start was to contact them. I have kept in contact with a large number of attendees at the camp some of whom have become friends and we consult on a regular basis regarding our competitions and best practice.
What did you think of the training courses on offer? Did you learn lots? Was it actually fun or a bit like school?
Even though I am a relatively experienced tennis player and coach going on the training courses exposed me to a whole other element of tennis. There are numerous rules and regulations which I had no idea existed and the procedure to tackle some common problems are not how I thought. The course offered a useful insight into the day to day running of competitions and also some of the scenarios which you are likely to face. I thought that the four days work experience was essential in order to prepare you for some of the situations you would definitely face at your own competition and learn from a more experienced referee on handling the situation. It was also interesting to see how the referee dealt with parents and their complaints as this probably one of the toughest elements of refereeing but if you get the relationship and rapport correct it can be extremely advantageous.
What have been your best moments, so far, as referee?
During my short stint as a referee I have had a few memorable moments. Being asked to be assistant referee at my local county closed was fantastic for me as it meant that I could be involved in the flagship event in the county and learn from the best referees. It also allowed me to become familiar with the players and start to build a good working relationship which I believe is essential. Secondly when I had finally finished my first week-long event without any problems or complaints I was thrilled. The week was long and hard work however knowing that you have completed a big event with 150 entries without any problems was brilliant.
What is your typical daily routine at a tournament?
Being a referee is a job which has many different elements and often means that during the event it is very difficult to switch off. Before the event it is important to notify all players in advance of their first match start times and procedures of the event. Typically on the day of the event I like to get up early and print off the sign in sheet, order of play, draws and schedule for the day ahead. I always print off two copies, one for the notice board and one for me to use during the day. After I have made sure I have all the essential items in my bag; tape measure, pen, rule book, I like to get to the event at least an hour before the first match start time and ensure all the days draws are pinned up and the nets are the correct height. I believe that it is important to be the first person at your event as it doesn’t look good if players are there before the referee. At the end of the event a referee’s work is still not complete. If possible I like to take my laptop to the event so I can input the scores as the matches finish, however if this is not possible I have to go home and put all the results from the event onto TTP and send it off to the LTA to put on the website.
I hear that you recently organised and refereed your first week long tournament, how did that go?
I was absolutely delighted to be asked to referee the Stratford on Avon Junior Open 2011 as it was my first week-long event. Organisation of a week-long event is essential because without good organisation and advertising there will be no entries and consequently no event. Before I took over at Stratford, two weeks before the event, we had only 23 entries; however at the start of the event we had managed to increase this to 150 which meant the event was busy and a great success. Along with getting entrants I found formulating the draws and producing a schedule an enjoyable challenge. I always like to accommodate all players who can only play at specific times and days and, although this proves difficult, it is extremely satisfying when it all fits into place. The bonus of refereeing a big event and a week-long is that most of the time something is happening, I like to be involved and kept active, so having seven courts and 15 events means that there is always something to do, whether it is an on-court issue or talking to players and parents. I felt that the event went fantastically well and this feeling was replicated in the questionnaires filled in after the event. However it is important to remember that you can never run a perfect event and there is always something that can be improved no matter how small. For example next year at Stratford we will have scoreboards on each court as this is something that we missed out this year.
What are the things that you most enjoy about refereeing?
For me refereeing is a perfect job, as long as it’s not raining! It allows me to sit all day and watch great tennis but also provides a variety of challenges during the event. The thing I most enjoy about refereeing is the interaction I have with both players and parents. I love chatting to players regarding their rating and results in previous tournaments and I believe it is essential to develop a good relationship with people as they will return to tournaments you run and also I find that they are more lenient if you make a small mistake or you have some trouble with the weather.
Have you had any difficult issues to resolve? If so, were you happy with how it went?
At my events I like to gather the players round before they start playing and outline my expectations from them as players both on the court during a match and after the match on the tournament premises. I believe if you set out a few informal guidelines like always shout the score out after every point and trust your opponent this will eradicate most of the smaller problems which occur almost every time I referee. However there will always be a few more serious problems. I find that most issues are made worse when parents decide to get involved, in some cases parents squaring up to each other, that is why whenever I go on court I always move the players to the side of the court away from everyone else as primarily the matter is between the people on court and no-one else. If you have a strong grasp of the rules of tennis and enforce them calmly but forcefully the players should listen and everything should be fine. One of the most difficult issues faced by most referees is the weather, for some reason both players and parents fail to understand that it is not your fault as referee that it is raining and there is nothing you can do to stop it. However regular announcements of what you expect to happen and clear information and timings for future announcements and play seem to calm people down. By acting fast and effectively I think I can stop most problems escalating further and therefore be happy with myself that a small problem didn’t spiral out of control.
Any other comments?
Refereeing is a fantastic way for young people, who are interested in tennis, to become more involved with the sport. With the emphasis on competitions increasing from the LTA there have never been more opportunities for you get involved. The fact that the course is free means that you can go along and try and if you do not think it is for you, you haven’t lost anything. So I would encourage all young enthusiasts of tennis to try and get more involved with competition, especially refereeing as it a fun and rewarding thing to do