Interview: Football referee Amanda Karman 2022-05-20

Interview with football referee Amanda Karman

Amanda Karman started refereeing football when she was 12 years old. Now she is 22 years old and has refereed matches in larger arenas with full stands and will also make her debut as head referee in the men's division 4 this spring. Join us below for our interview with Amanda, read what she thinks is the best thing about being a referee and why she referees football.

– Hi Amanda. Why did you start refereeing football?

– It was the football club where I played football in that got in touch so that they would have an annual referee course. I think we were three girls from my team who took that refereeing course together, it was because we were a little interested and wanted to try it out. When I was 12 years old, football was my life, we hung on to the pitches all the time and thought that if I were to start refereeing I would have the opportunity to be around football even more.


– Did you reflect on being a referee then or was it, as you say, because it was an opportunity to be on the football field even more?

– No, I had not reflected on it at all before the question came about that referee course. But I clearly remember that once I got the question, it felt obvious in some way.


– These 10 years you have been a referee now, is there a special match you think back on sometimes?

– I have refereed for 10 years and been a district referee since I was 16 years old now. So I've been refereeing senior football for 6 years now. I remember a match clearly when I was relatively new and went as an assistant referee in the next highest league for women here in Sweden in a match where Hammarby played, at Hammarby IP. Hammarby then had an arrangement that the audience and the cheering went to the women's match first and then immediately after to move on to the men's match. Then it was crowded and really good feeling on the stands and the arena. I remember that very clearly and it was a fun match because of that arrangement.


– If we discuss a little refereeing role then. What do you think is the best thing about being a football referee?

– The best thing about being a football referee is that you get to be involved in football and the world football is in. I loved to play, but the refereeing clearly suits me better and you also get to stay in football in many ways. I also get extremely much energy after a match. It's a job and I get paid to referee. I usually say that if I have to go to my regular job and get up early, it can often be difficult and tough, but being a referee is never difficult or tough, I think. It's never a struggle to get to a football match. It feels and is more of a hobby for me to be a referee, at the same time as it is a job and I get paid for it.


– Interesting! If, for example, you compare refereeing with other hobbies, say, mountain biking. Cycling in the forest can be done as a hobby and it is nice and fun. There you can also just take it easy for a workout and just go out. You may not need to be there mentally. As a referee, you must always be involved, mentally prepared, right?

– Yes, quite right. You really have to be there mentally. It's not like another hobby or training session where you do not have to be mentally involved. As a referee, you have to be both mentally and physically involved on the pitch when you referee a match, you have to be very present. I also think that's what's fun, that I get energy from it after a match. You can be a little tired in the body but I sometimes get a bit of an endorphin kick and energy after a match. Partly because I have run a lot but also because I have hopefully made a good match and the feeling after "winning" a match as a referee also excist, trust me. The best feeling.


– We like good matches! If we go the other way then. The feeling of a bad match as a referee is that something that can stay with you for a long time?

– I would say that it is a contributing factor to me continuing to referee, that I can let it go pretty quickly. It is clear that there are difficult matches because you have players and/or leaders who do not agree with the verdict. I can let go of that pretty quickly, most of the time. However, situations where I myself feel dissatisfied can linger a little longer sometimes. It happens that afterwards you think that "there it should been a penalty" or that you see a situation on TV or recording and you look at it differently then, then it can stay with me until the next match. Then I try to turn it around and think that today I should not miss the same situation and put more focus on whether such a situation arises again.


– You said early on that when you were 12 years old you lived on the football field and lived for football. Do you still do that, do you feel the same way now?

– No, I would not say that. I am still in it for the most part, but it is not yet a 7-day-a-week activity. It will still be that you live a little for football and refereeing, because you have to do your training sessions every week and referee matches. If, for example, I had not been a referee, I would still have trained, but thought differently about the approach. So yes, now that I reflect on that, football and refereeing are a big part of me but not in the same way as it was when I was 12 years old. It is a lifestyle to be a referee regardless of level.


– Training, matches and lifestyle to be a referee, you say. Do you watch football too?

– Yes I do. If my partner had a choice, we would watch all the time, haha. I thought I was watching football all the time, but then I met my partner who watches even more. It is clear that there will be a couple of matches a week to watch.

– Follow-up question on it. Can you watch football while watching football or do you watch the referees while watching football?

– No, I really can not watch football anymore. Of course you watch the match and football itself, but I have really changed perspective there. I check a lot of the referees, movement patterns, body language and take a look at a match from the referee's point of view all the time. These are things I take with me to my own matches, just like players who analyze matches and watch a lot of football, so I think many referees do the same thing then in the refereeing role. It's quite interesting when you get to see your own matches, or others, and you can watch a replay four times sometimes and you are still unsure if it's a penalty or not. In a match you have to make a quick decision that need to be as correct as possible. It's hard to be a referee sometimes, when you can not even think it's a penalty or not after four replays.


– You have had another interview in a newspaper and there was a lot of talk about the lack of referees. What do you think is the biggest problem and the cause of it?

– I think I also said in that interview that I think the most important thing is to get referees to continue. Those I went to the referee course with, none of them have continued with refereeing. There are too many referees who quit after a match or a season. The important thing is to get those who start refereeing to stay. It feels like the interest is high when the courses are, but that so many people always drop out after that. I think more support is needed here. If you go to your first match as a referee without support from an association, parents, referee club or the like, it will be a tough start for sure. No one can support you after the match, no one can see situations or the refereeing role from that referee's point of view. Add a leader who is not completely satisfied or the audience and parents who are not satisfied. It is clear that that referee will not continue. I think it is one of the most important points to continue working with is that you get early support and positive feedback from the association, football club or the referee district.


– We often talk about what leaders, players, audiences and others can help the referees with. There is clearly a need for more and bigger changes. But what can we referees do and help with then?

– We can also help, of course. We who referee senior football need to become better at supporting the younger ones. I know myself that when I started refereeing, the local football club had a referee-support for me. Definitely a contributing factor to me continuing to referee there and then. I think that person supported me at least in four or five of my first matches. I who now referee higher up can show commitment and support the younger ones, but here we also need help, forums, tools from the districts and from above towards the younger referees.


– Thank you for good reflections on that Amanda. Now back to you. For the 2022 season, what are you looking forward to?

– I will make my debut as head referee in the men's division 4, which is the closest I look forward to this season. I have been a lot of assistant in those divisions, but being the referee is another matter. It will be really fun and I look forward to it!


– That we look forward to. You are one of many referees who are now referees with one of our new watches. We know you have an S1 Pro watch. Does it work well?

– I have had it in only two matches and the timing, or match function, works very well. I have had it and my Apple Watch at the same time now and compared distance and GPS, where they are both very similar. I'm happy with the S1 Pro and the match function is easy to use.


– Thanks for this Amanda. Good luck with the season!