Pre-Play-off Discussion on Reffing; Call for Refs to Meet

Ok, this was a good session and I definitely think it's worth pursuing in the future, sometimes it's hard to know if you're on the right page with polo calls and reffing in general (especially when our rules are changing all the time), but chatting with others helps cement things in your mind.

Brief notes follow, although it was pretty hard to write things down.

Starting out:

1. Source goal refs (make sure they know how to call a goal) and make sure the goals are the correct size, etc.
   
2. Equipment check of all players (bar ends, mallets plugs, etc), no grey areas, if you can't sort your bike out then that team forfeits the fixture.
   
3. Give the players a mini summary of your understanding of the rules, this is your generic ref schpeel and usually covers the areas of the rules that often vary from tourney to tourney (ball joints, restarts after goals, hooking keepers, etc).
   
4. Make an impression and tell the players your style of reffing, what you expect from them, and ask for any questions from them pre-game.
   
5. Check who's charging, left on right charging is dangerous and encourage left on left or right on right.
   
6. Start the game (if you see someone "false starting" the charge, then don't say polo and call them back or blow your whistle and call them back).
   
   

Dos and Don'ts
Do be impartial and consistent, this ensures a fair game.
Do be vocal (keep telling the players what you're seeing, issue warning, whatever suits your style).
Do be attentive (it's crucial you have your full attention on the game at all times).
Do say what you see (don't be swayed by anyone and don't call something that you didn't see).
Do give a reason for what you're calling ("illegal bike on bike, t-bone, pushing, etc").
Do give a reason for not calling anything ("that's ok", "incidental contact", "like-for-like", etc).
Don't stop the game on crashes unless a foul was committed (polo is a contact sport, aggression/crashes is part of the game).
Don't call a foul if the innocent team has the advantage, issue a double tap out (or similar) instead and let them continue their attack.
Don't engage in conversation with any players, tell them you'll "discuss it afterwards" or similar, (penalise the player if they keep giving you backchat).
Don't just call foot downs or crashes (for example a hand grabbing another player's bar is an instant strong foul regardless of anyone crashing, etc).
Don't be afraid to use "strong foul" calls (sin bin offenses) and call incidents/fouls first time, don't allow each player one "get out of jail free card", etc.
Don't use your whistle for anything except to stop the game, call goals, etc. (Use your voice and hands until you need to stop the game, issue a ball turnover, etc.)

General thoughts
Know the rules for the tournament/game your reffing inside and out, ask questions of others if you think of a situation you wouldn't know how to call.
Try to think of the players as either "playing the ball" (regardless of possession, you're still either involved in a play or not, for example: being ready to intercept a pass/break) or as "playing the player" (not looking at the ball/play, trying to force foot downs and cause mini fouls, etc), if someone is "playing the ball" then it's likely there will be more incidental incidents, if they're "playing the player" then it's likely there will be more malicious incidents (fouls).
Make your call and stick to it, don't be swayed.
Try to think of fouls as either "weak fouls" (no need to stop the game, tap out offenses) and "strong fouls" (play advantage, then stop the game and issue a sin bin or a ball turnover), you should know in your mind which is which (mallet under wheel versus reckless t-bone for example).
Players with possession should be given the benefit of the doubt if your unsure of the call. A classic example of this is when a defending player brakes and an attacker runs into their back wheel and crashes. Obviously if the attacker is not looking up (knowing where they're going) then they are at fault, otherwise it's likely that the defender is at fault.
Not all refs will make the same calls, this is fine (there are still grey areas in polo). Ensure that you make consistent calls and you'll be a good ref.

That's about it, we can have another meet in the future if people want to. London needs more refs and in my opinion there's no point winging at a ref unless you're prepared to do the job yourself.