Whether it’s the bitter grumbling of the football fan, the tennis player’s angry protestation, or sardonic comments on a squash Facebook group, it’s often said of referees: ‘They’ve never played the game, what do they know?’
Appointing ex-professionals — those who have ‘played the game’ — in refereeing roles makes complete sense: their applied knowledge from playing in hundreds of top-level matches will surely transfer into more insightful and empathetic decision making.
But we rarely get the chance to find out. It’s surprising that so few ex-players make that transition, especially after many have spent so much of their playing careers vociferously insisting that they could do a better job than the guy in the chair.
In squash, it’s broadly acknowledged that there aren’t many better referees than Jason Foster, and he is on a mission to attract ex-pros into the officiating profession by breaking down barriers and giving them opportunities to learn more about what’s involved.
The project, launched by squash’s refereeing body World Squash Officiating (WSO) and led by Foster, is called the Player Referee Pathway Initiative (PRPI).
WSO contacted all the active pros and coaches on the PSA Squash Tour at the start of last season and offered them the opportunity to find out more about refereeing, what qualifications were required and how to get them, setting out a calendar of online workshops and offering the carrot of a potential invite to the World Championships regional qualifying competitions where learners could start to gain experience and be shadowed and mentored by experienced referees.
Initial expressions of interest, including some from high-profile players, were encouraging but when a follow-up Teams call was arranged, only a fraction dialled in. They were invited to an online workshop, which even fewer turned up for.
Whether it’s the modest financial reward, lack of time or a preference for other pursuits like coaching, Foster is already finding that there’s a lack of appetite to make the switch from the court to the referee’s chair.
In an attempt to raise the profile of the PRPI, Foster included it as part of the recent WSO Women in Refereeing workshop in Birmingham during the GillenMarkets British Open. There was interest from some of the women players who attended including world no.67 Millie Tomlinson.
“It’s a great idea and a great initiative and we will keep plugging away with it,” Foster tells Squash Player. “We will launch it again next season and have it as a rolling item. It’s a labour of love. I’m determined to make it a success.
“You see it all the time on social media, where people say, ‘If the referee was an ex-professional player, they would understand the game better.’ I get that point of view. I see the link and think it should be explored, but it’s not as easy as that. They need to have a sound knowledge of the rules, how to apply them and build up their experience.”
It’s those perceived ‘barriers’ of admin, workshops and practice that is perhaps off-putting for ex-pros. It also requires the support of the national federations, who don’t always have the budget to help train referees.
Like so many things in life, refereeing is not as easy as it looks and takes time to build up the requisite knowledge before you can turn up on the balcony with a clipboard, ready to say, ‘First game, love-all.’
“There were a few people who turned up to the workshop in Birmingham and thought they were going to do some refereeing practice at the British Open!” reveals Foster. “That’s what they actually thought, so I had to manage their expectations.
“But the workshop was successful in raising the profile of refereeing as a profession choice. We were able to demonstrate how seriously we take it and put the message out there that we’re looking for more women and ex-pros to join us. If we get just one ex-pro, then one can become two, and it grows from there.”
Your author has had the privilege of sharing the referees’ room whilst on media duty at many professional squash tournaments. It is very eye-opening to witness the extent of preparation, assessment, debriefing, analysis and self-reflection that takes place every day. I have also seen how criticism and players’ aggression affects them.
To state the obvious, refereeing is a very difficult job. Applying the rules to two adversaries who are in the midst of battle, and dealing with the blitz of real-time and post-match criticism from the highly partisan baying mob watching the spectacle, is not a role for the overly sensitive personality.
Squash now has three full-time professional referees, Foster, Roy Gingell and Andrea Santamaria, but the rest are doing it in-between other roles, either voluntarily or for pretty modest remuneration.
However, there are many positive aspects to the job, not least having the best seat in the house to watch world-class squash, travelling the world and being part of a supportive clan of officials, without whom the game could not take place.
The WSO Women in Refereeing workshop, supported by IOC Solidarity Funding, will be rolled out again at PSA tournaments in Egypt, Hong Kong and the USA in the coming season, and promotion of the PRPI will again form part of all three of those events.
“It’s given us a foot in the door and positive exposure of refereeing,” says Foster. “We will re-contact those who showed an interest last year, keep giving them the information, breaking the barriers down and encouraging them to take part. We’ll keep plugging away.”
