Pre-match motivation

It is not just players who need to “gee” themselves up before going out on to the pitch – referees have to prepare mentally for the action as well.

Tough task
And remember - the top match officials also have to prime themselves for the tough task of controlling 22 hyped-up players and two excitable benches in front of 80,000 partisan spectators.

Individual differences
Referees obviously have different characters and temperaments, and each one has his/her own way of preparing to take charge of a game. Motivation measures may vary from loud music to total calm, depending on the referee’s individual preference.

Important period
uefa.com asked a selection of leading European referees how they motivate themselves in the period before the opening whistle:

Lubos Michel (Slovakia) : “I think that the tension starts about three or four hours before the game, so for UEFA Champions League matches, I tend to read a book or newspaper and then try to sleep for an hour. When I enter the stadium, I’m then ready to referee. I don’t have any special motivation techniques – refereeing a big match normally gives me sufficient motivation – but I try to start being calm around an hour before the game. I like my colleagues to be around me, I don’t like to be alone, because it doesn’t help me if I think too much about the game beforehand.”

Terje Hauge (Norway): “When I come to the stadium, I spend as much time as possible on the pitch before the match. Back in the dressing room, the refereeing team can joke, laugh, play music or be quiet – it all depends on who is in the team. I think that the most important thing for myself and my colleagues before the match is simply to ‘enjoy the moment’."

Massimo Bussaca (Switzerland): “Music is a very good element in my preparation, and I listen to music when I’m travelling from my town to the game. If my assistants are with me, we chat together, but not necessarily about the match that we will be refereeing. I try and get myself very relaxed about an hour before the game. I feel that it’s equally important to make sure that you have enough relaxation in the days leading up to the match, and that your environment is calm.”

Mike Riley (England): “I tend to play music in the dressing room – relaxing music at the start, building up to more upbeat music just before going out. I’ve already converted three of my colleagues this season. One of them started off being very sceptical about it, but in the end, he was dancing in the dressing room to the ghetto blaster!”

Andy D’Urso (England): “Pre-match motivation is obviously an individual thing, and I don’t think that music in the dressing-room would be right for me. I think that I’m a fairly quiet person, so I’m relatively quiet in the dressing-room with my colleagues. I tend to want to focus on the job I’ve got to do. I feel relaxed in quiet surroundings. If I’m got a colleague who likes to crack the odd joke, I’m all for this, but I tend to feel more relaxed in a quiet atmosphere, and when I’ve got no distractions.”

Get yourself focused
The message is clear for every referee - whether you're quiet or an extrovert, musical or a deep thinker ... choose whatever method suits you best to get yourself in the pre-match mood - and, above all, make sure that your preparations leave you totally in tune for the kick-off.