Disability Developments - Changing the way Referees Officiate
Imagine playing a game of football without being able to see or hear; imagine kicking a ball you can't see, to a teammate that could be on your left or right, so they can shoot it into a goal the mere size of a hockey net.
There are around 2 million people in the UK living with sight loss and more than 10 million people living with hearing loss not letting it get in their way of participating in sport.
Since its beginning in the South American countries of Uruguay and Brazil, Futsal has since been adapted to allow those whose disabilities have taken away their opportunities, to join in their favourite sport.
Although participants are disabled, equity rules still apply. Players must wear blindfolds to ensure that those who may be partially-sighted are not at more of an advantage than those who are fully blind. To keep the ball in play, plastic boards are set up on the touchlines of the pitch, and the ball is fitted with a special sound system so that players can hear it to locate where it is. Coaches are allowed to work with their team, with one controlling each third of the pitch to tell players where their teammates are and where the ball is. The fully sighted goalkeepers control their third, and the players call 'voy' - the Spanish verb 'to go' - when they are challenging an opponent for the ball. This is so the player in possession knows where his/her opponents are on the pitch and can alter their direction to avoid the challenge.
With support from organisations such as Kick it Out, and the awareness raised of disability sports at the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, it is evident that these adaptations show representation that disability sports is now being taken more seriously than ever.
Paul Leversuch, the referee co-ordinator for B1 Blind Futsal within the UK, said: "It is important that the games are adapted to allow all players to participate fully and to enjoy the game with as much commitment, pride and passion as any sighted player. The adaptations allow the matches to be competitive, meaningful and also an excellent spectacle for spectators to watch, understand and enjoy."
But by changing the game for the players, the game has also changed for the officials. The pace of the game is different, as are the laws, which determine not only how and where the ball is played, but also the positions that the referee takes up. Referees are far more interactive, changing positions and also coming in to assist their colleagues in the setting up of dead ball restarts, free kicks, corner kicks, penalties and ten metre penalties. The game has personal and team fouls to record, which differs slightly from mainstream Futsal. The substitution process requires both the on-field referees and also the table and 3rd referee to participate, ensuring that the players leave and enter the field of play safely and in accordance with the laws of the game.
Communication amongst the team of four match officials is key to ensuring the game runs smoothly. Not only are personal and team fouls recorded, but substitutions also need to be managed by the team. In trying to keep the game as close to law as possible, and by trying to keep as low key as possible, the third official and one of the referees will work together to make the substitution. The third official will get the oncoming player prepared by checking his patches and kit, while the referee will guide the player coming off into the corner. This is an adaptation of law and does not happen in Futsal. Players will make rolling substitutions without telling the referee, but the compassion showed towards the blind players shows the understanding of the type of assistance they need, and the societal acceptance of their disability.
As the sport's participation levels and its popularity increase, the FA has recently recognised Futsal as an important area that promotes disability in sport. It's fair play policy works in line with the Laws of the Game, and discourages teams from being overly physical or disputing the decisions of referees, and the exit routes offer exciting opportunities to the participants.
In 2014, the FA donated £1.5 million to disability sport, in order to encourage more than 30,000 more participants with a disability to get into Futsal, and creating 600 teams in the process. In the same year, the FA also unveiled a purpose built blind Futsal court at their England home at St George's Park. The venue is used as the national team's training base, and the court has been specially installed for the England blind squad.
James Watkins, the FA's Disability Talent Selection Manager, believes it was an important time for the FA to recognise the needs of Futsal participants in order to meet the specific needs of players, and to create meaningful participation, developmental and competitive opportunities. He said: "Creation of impairment specific teams, clubs, leagues, talent programmes and international squads result in development of positive social networks for respective players. This leads to the valuable ‘ownership’ of the opportunity by key individuals who become both facilitators and role models for others by inspiring others to play, coach and generally get involved."
Although Mr Watkins welcomes the benefits to the Futsal players, he can also see the high impact on the work of the referees. Mr Watkins, who has been the FA Disability Talent Selection Manager for last 7 years, and the former team manager for the England Blind Squad, said: "Referees have been challenged to adapt the way in which they communicate with players and support staff on and off the field. This is in the form of communicating the laws of the game via effective game and player management rather than the often misunderstood need to show extended empathy for players’ respective disabilities."
For the referees, this means more training and a conversion course into Futsal, and then further coaching to adapt to deaf and blind officiating. They need to know how to deal with incidents that may be intentional in a game of Futsal, but not with blind players. Is it possible to penalise a blind player for committing a hand ball offence? Can it be deliberate? As well as this, whilst the game is slightly slower, the referee has to be more aware of where all of the outfield players are to avoid collisions, and have more vocal interaction with players so that they know where the referee is.
But for Marc Birkett, a FIFA Futsal referee, the humbling feeling of watching someone take control of their disability and overcoming any issues for their love of football is worthwhile. He said: "The basics of refereeing are the same across all forms of football but with deaf and blind Futsal there has to be increased level of communication and empathy for the game. When working with deaf players, you need to consider the use of flags as a visual tool for decisions as often the whistle cannot be heard and positive body language is used when communicating with players. Within blind Futsal, whistle tone is important to clearly inform players the differences between foul severity and stoppages in play. A clear voice must be used as well, as you need to instruct and inform players of decisions, sanctions and control, mumbling and not direct comments will leave the players confused as to your meaning."
Looking ahead, the FA have promised to deliver equality and diversity training to coaching and governing bodies whilst developing courses for coaches and referees.
Although referees have had to adapt their ways of officiating, this change has been welcomed as it allows those with disabilities to join in with the sport they love. This social understanding and acceptance has changed the way referees work and the way in which they act towards the players. Rules are in force to keep the game fair, adaptations have been made to keep players safe, and referees are there to take control and keep the game fun. With the introduction of Futsal and its increase in popularity, it is evident that disabled sports are undoubtedly now being recognised. Referees themselves are offered new and exciting opportunities from working with the disabled players, learning new skills as they do so, and have only had to adapt to new styles to allow those with disabilities to do what they enjoy. This can only be a positive, and gains inclusion in sport which has the possibility to filter through to society in the future.