The Off-Side Rule Explained !!!!!!

So as Euro 2016 reaches its knockout stages and especially after last night, a few of my Icelandic mates who i used to play football with rang to tell me how sorry they were that England got knocked out.. not! I thought as we have gone and you have the knowledge of the referee signals that will be going on throughout the tournament, one thing that is constantly being brought to my attention is that, even though football is an internationally known and internationally respected game, so many people still have no idea about the offside rule, in my eyes what's not to get, but we will go through this together and get through it... hopefully.

The non football fans version is this.. 

'You're in a shoe shop, second in the queue for the till. Behind the shop assistant on the till is a pair of shoes which you have seen and which you must have.

The female shopper in front of you has seen them also and is eyeing them with desire. Both of you have forgotten your purses.

It would be totally rude to push in front of the first woman if you had no money to pay for the shoes.

The shop assistant remains at the till waiting.

Your friend is trying on another pair of shoes at the back of the shop and sees your dilemma.

She prepares to throw her purse to you.

If she does so, you can catch the purse, then walk round the other shopper and buy the shoes.

At a pinch she could throw the purse ahead of the other shopper and, *whilst it is in flight* you could nip around the other shopper, catch the purse and buy the shoes.

Always remembering that until the purse had *actually been thrown* it would be plain wrong to be forward of the other shopper' 

hopefully to the people out there who wouldn't normally watch football, next time an offside comes up you'll be quick to identify that an offside occurs and even better you'll actually understand what is actually going on!;

The football fans offside rule

first things first, as you will know it isn't an actual offense to be standing in an offside position. Basically, a player is in an offside position if they're nearer to the opponents goal line then both the ball and the second to last defender. 

You aren't in an offside position if: 

-You're in your own half

-You're level with the second to last opponent

-You're level with the the last two opponents

You will be penalised for being offside the moment the ball touches you if it's played to you by one of your own team mates. or if you are interfering in play, so either interfering with an opponent, play or gaining an advantage by being in the position you are.

YOU CANNOT BE OFFSIDE FROM A THROW-IN, GOAL-KICK OR A CORNER KICK!!!

The restart from an offside awarded is an indirect free kick to the other team from where the player on the field of play was caught in a position of offside. 

Euro 2016 Referee signals

So, with Euro 2016 well under way right now, people all over seem to forget and unconsciously lack the knowledge of knowing there are actually 3 teams on the field of play at all times, you got it yet? yes, it's the Home team, away team and... the Referees! The match officials are always such a vital part of the game, after all there would be no game without a referee. The problem is, the ratio of footballers/football fans to referee's is quite frankly shocking, there is a severe lack of referee's but of course most believe they could do a better job than the referee's anyway, coincidentally when there team is losing.
With football of course being such an global sport and money being thrown at the game left, right and center, the referee's decision can be worth a heck of a lot, this can be just in a normal league game, or the FA cup final. However, it seems to me that a lot of fans of the beautiful game are quite clueless of the referee signals and decisions that are given, which could always cause unnecessary heat towards the referee and a bit of controversy between either players, managers or the crowd. Therefore I've decided to put together a little presentation, which will give you all a clear description of all the signals used within the 90 minutes, surprisingly there aren't really that many, so grin and bear it as within a few minutes you'll be fully topped up on the knowledge with referee decision making and the signals which go with it. Here goes;

Above is all the signals of which a referee with use during a game, so at least before you start shouting at the referee or getting confused as to what's happening, once looking at this and drilling it into you, you'll at least know what's going on and well if in your own opinion you don't agree with it, well like the good ol' British saying you're going to have to 'Keep calm and carry on'.

She Kicks Magazine

Last year I was lucky enough to be asked by 'She Kicks' magazine if they could interview me.

She Kicks - does what it says on the tin. It is a magazine for girls who love their football. It talks about current players, about current matches and about the womens sport in general. It interviews women in the sport;

• How did they get involved
• Who inspired them
• How hard has it been to make it through to a higher level
• Where do you want to get to
• What advice would you give o others.

Womens football is getting more popular, month or month. More girls are taking part in football. When I started playing there were two girls in the whole of the Derbyshire league, myself and a girl called Jess. In my first season I would turn up and the opposition would be whispering 'it's a girl' (as if they had never seen one before). Both myself and Jess were good players - we played for different teams, so the seasons afterwards the lads just got used to us and accepted us as footballers. Now, when I have refereed the odd children s match it's quite unusual for there not to be a girl in the team,

Now, ten years on I am back in the 'It's a Girl' again. When I turn up to referee, teams start to whisper, the crowd starts to whisper. It makes me giggle to be honest; Hopefully over the next few years, more and more girls will become referee's and again it will become a norm. I've always been the sort of person who takes the road less traveled, I don't know why, it's just me. 

I see myself as a footballer, or a referee. I don't see myself as a female footballer, or female referee. I like to be treated exactly the same as any referee or footballer,

That being said, I do want to show younger girls that they can have a career in football, whether it be on or off the pitch;. 

• Yes you do have to prove yourself. 
• Yes you have to work really hard
• Yes it's a long hard road, which is often up hill

Bit it's worth it.

I

Soccer Aid - What a weekend finale

Wow, What an amazing weekend I've just had;

I worked for the PFA again, refereeing the Academy under 10's. Again such a talented group of players, and the more I work with the different age groups, the more I can see the progression from one age range to another. This has been my first year working with the PFA, and I'm already looking forward to seeing a difference in the lads abilities next year.

As always, even within this group of lads there are those that stand out, and I have to say that there was one lad from Watford that was incredible - He will be one that I will be looking out for in the future.

It was great to see two premiership players supporting their own lads at the tournament, although slightly weird knowing that they were watching the game and obviously aware of my refereeing. I held my own though, and got on with the game.

Alan Keegan was the compare for the event again which was really nice, so we caught up on the weeks events, and put the world to rights.

SOCCER-AID

Yesterday was so amazing - Soccer Aid, Robbie Williams baby, which I have attended for the last three times it has been played. For those that don't know Robbie created Soccer Aid to support the charity UNICEF. It has been immensely successful and grows momentum each time (it's on every two years). The event is held at Old Trafford, Theatre of Dreams, which again adds to the amazement and vibe of the event.

This year my Mum, Sister and I were so fortunate to have tickets for the VIP area. It's that area that is always empty till about 5 mins before the match, the one that is on the halfway line and has the best view in the stadium, the one that I always wondered who on earth sat there and what they did before the match. Well now I can tell you - They are looked after extremely well, with delicious food, and easy flowing, nice on the palate drinks

We were surrounded by Celeb's all looking very 'Well Celeb'!!!!!  Designer clothes, very high stilettos, and perfect hairstyles. As a Footballista I dressed 'For a Football Match'!!!!! but as a Fashionista, I still dressed to look good, but casual. Although I might up my game next time slightly.

The fantastic view of the two teams, management and referee's was first class, Collabro singing ;Abide with Me' whilst the greatest ever footballer 'Pele' walked proudly onto the pitch. The excitement of Jose Mourinho as he walked to the VIP, VIP area to take his seat (that's a real important VIP area!!!)

The game was great, with some Celeb's on the pitch really showing their football skills - Olly Murs in particular, and Jack Whitehall amazingly (where did that come from???). Every time Niall Horan walked towards the technical area the screams from the crowd were deafening. Every time Sam Allardyce walked towards the technical area, the screams from the technical area were deafening.

Mark Wright scored a goal he will remember for ever. His wife Michelle Keegan was sat in front of us, and celebrated accordingly. The score ended up England 3 - Rest of the World 2. Again our seats allowed us the view of the presentations and firework display, which were great.

We got home this morning at 0200hrs, a wonderful finish, to a wonderful weekend.

Keeping my Fitness Goals

So this week my mind is still set on my goals.

I was lucky to be asked to be a Referee at the Premiership Academy under 11's' tournament this last weekend. I ref'd or ran the line for 14 matches, all 10 minutes each half - A very respectable 5 hours nearly of running, side stepping, quick turns and controlling of exciting play. The Kids were amazing, fantastic players and definitely an elite group. The weather was incredible, if not probably a little too warm. With matches back to back, we had to really keep on top of our fluid intake.

The Manchester City academy won after a thrilling final against Arsenal. Play was fast, with great moves and clever set plays. It all came down to penalties in the end, at around 8 across an Arsenal player went wide, bless him, his world imploded. He fell to his knees but no amount of consoling from his team mates was helping. The City player walked up, and in my mind probably took the shot too quickly and whilst the other lad was still in view. That being said, the shot was great, but the save by the Arsenal goalie was top notch. The players were jumping around in shock, and the spectators were cheering an amazing piece of football. At 13 across, on the second time round, an Arsenal player hit the post, and Man City ran around the field ending in a celebration football pile back on the pitch.

It was also great to meet up with Alan Keegan again. The Manchester United announcer who is a great family friend, and was the guest presenter at the tournament.

Excellent Day

Monday I was back on my fitness routine, back at the gym spending a couple of hours using the aerobic equipment, as well as doing interval training with the weights. At the gym I also enjoy working on the mats, working on my core.

Tuesday I went to the gym for an hour as we had lots of family things to do, and I sneakily had a wonderful lie-in. I love it when I get a great sleep, and I don't have to put the alarm on.

Today I went to the gym where my Mum works. It always ends up being a  massive work out their as the Lads working out are all trying to be the best. I went with my Sister Paige, and straight away we were invited to join the gym session. It was fast and constant, with no slacking allowed. It was funny when we finished watching a couple of the lads trying to walk down the steps afterwards, with their jelly legs. Great Elvis impressions.