Those of us present at the recent Velocity Trophy match against Hullbridge Sports will have enjoyed a display from Referee Farai Hallam which ticked all the boxes for lovers of our great game.
Unobtrusive, authoritive, communicative, and a knowledge of football at our level that only comes from a participant, Farai is now receiving due recognition from the FA and Premier League in managerial roles.
Here he gives us an exclusive, rare insight into the role of the Referee.

“Not too often do fans, club staff and groundhoppers get to hear the back story of a referee, so hopefully the next few minutes of reading gives you insight in to one story, journey and experience of the person in black you will see week in, week out, but might not know much about…
200 games
Three years in full-time football and four years in non-league. I was fortunate to make around 200 appearances (it could’ve been more but for injuries, suspensions and most of all, poor performances!) across the levels before turning my hand to refereeing. Whilst having played the game does help, it isn’t the be all and end all to being a good referee. Communication, confidence, decision making under pressure, conflict management, empathy, these are just some of the attributes you need to pick up the whistle come 2:55…
Refereeing? Why?
There are 25 people who walk on to the pitch playing their part in trying to make the game a great spectacle for everyone. Physically and emotionally right in the thick of the action, what better place to be! For me, it is the opportunity to try and progress back to the professional game and the buzz of thousands watching on, for others it is the enjoyment and camaraderie, for some it is their way of staying involved and giving back.
Whatever the referee’s motivation, the time, effort and sacrifice made for not much thanks at times shouldn’t be forgotten. Training, self-evaluation, countless games, hours of driving, leaving work early, being late to friends and family, this is all part and parcel of making these great non-league games happen each week, for referee’s, as much as players, coaches and volunteers.
Football is a game of opinions, refereeing is a game of angles
Anyone involved in the game will tell you it is all about opinions, partly now about stats but at the core, one person’s opinion of a player or team. Not everyone can agree, right?
Well, refereeing is a game of angles. What looks like handball from the stand, actually hit the chest from 12 metres away. What looks like a green throw from one side, shows a slight deflection from the other side… When the referee stands on the side for 95 minutes with the whistle, then we have a problem, until then we’ve got someone trying to get in to the best viewing position for the 245 judgement calls. Yes we’ll make some mistakes, statistically less than 2% per game, but we’ve got an honest, neutral person trying to manage 22 players, the technical areas and those watching on, often with two very different points of view.
Season 2021/22
I hope, as we all do I’m sure, that we get an uninterrupted season that will of course bring highs and lows for everyone. The elation of last minute wins, the deflation of losing a local derby, but for the referee, our aim is to be quietly competent no matter what is going on around us…
Have a great season and I hope you enjoyed the read.”

Be here to see Farai in action when we entertain VCD Athletic on New Years Day – kick off 3pm

* This interview first appeared in our match day programme v Lancing 18/12/2021.