DALLAS

CUP XXVI

INTERNATIONAL YOUTH SOCCER TOURNAMENT

Kevin Wright

20 – 27 March 2005

In November 2004 Jim Ashworth (PGMOL National List Manager) rang me inviting me to referee at the Dallas Cup the World’s best International Youth Tournament, during March 2005.

To referee at such an event and to represent The Football League and my Country made me feel very proud and honoured. I was so determine to fulfil this invitation I immediately accepted it without consulting my family or my work (although I knew something drastic had to happen to prevent the answer being anything other than ‘yes’). I later learnt that I would be accompanied by Russell Booth from Mansfield who was in his first season as a National List Referee. Also Trevor Simpson National List Coach and Mick Hickling would be our guides. Over the next few months I tried to obtain as much information as possible about the tournament and also spoke to colleagues who had been to Dallas in the past. This is where a long and lasting friendship started, as Russell and I started liaising and chatting about the forthcoming trip. We were due to fly out on 15^th March and return on 29^th March.

Trevor arranged for a pre-trip get together in order for us to meet colleagues who were going from the UK. The meeting took place at The Meadowhall Shopping Centre in Sheffield. That evening we also met up with George McCaffery, Dean Whitestone who is a Panel League Referee/National List Assistant Referee, Stuart Attwell, Chris Kavangh and Anthony Moore.

Everybody was excited about the trip ahead and George, Trevor & Mick told us stories about previous trips, explained one or two key aspects and in general answered any questions that we had. As George, Trevor & Mick had a combined experience of the Dallas Cup of well over 50 years between them we knew we would have nothing to worry about. I also knew that as there were so many ‘youngsters’ going with us I would have to lead by example, as they were looking forward to working with us and gaining lots from our own experiences and practices.

Russell and I drove down to Gatwick on the 14^th March and met up with Stuart and Dean as we were due to book in early the following morning. We had a meal, set out some ground rules and went to bed.

Personal Aims & Objectives

I had too many personal aims and objectives to mention but the main ones are listed below:

• I wanted to work on staying within close vicinity to the ball my aim was to try and stay approx. within 17m -20m from the ball at all times. This I felt would help sell my decisions and ensure my presence was close to any incidents.

• To see how my style of refereeing would be accepted by International teams who had different styles of play. Would I need to change or adapt as necessary?

• I wanted to learn from other International referees. I knew FIFA referees would be out there and I wanted to watch and learn from their styles, how they impose themselves on their games and how they position themselves at set plays.

• I wanted to pass on my experience to the younger referees and share some ‘best practices’ that I had obtained throughout my career.

• Enjoy working with colleagues from different countries.

• Referee to the best of my ability and see how I handle the pressure of tournament football.

15^th March 2005

We left London Gatwick at 10.30am and arrived in Dallas Fort Worth Airport at 2.10pm local time (some 6 six hours behind our time). At the DFW Airport we met up with all the other referees from the UK. After picking up our hire car (People Carrier) Mick & Trevor dropped Russell and I off at John & Frances Marr’s who were our home stay family for the next 2 weeks. After an excellent Mexican meal, Russell & I went to check-out the local training facilities, analyse the running track and local football pitches. Also we visited the Lake Highland Stadium (where the finals would be held) where a female football match was taking place. Went to bed about 9.30pm, after a very tiring first day.

16^th March 2005

Woke up at 4.30am my body clock was totally out of normality. We conducted a training session at 8.00am for about an hour. All the Academy and Forces referees joined us, I explained that I had obtained a programme from Matt Weston (Our Sports Scientist) today’s session was a Medium – High training session in order to start our preparation for the tournament ahead. Following this we all met up at Denny’s for Breakfast. After letting the Maple Syrup and Pancakes settle we all went to the JFK Sixth Floor Museum. This was amazing, the detail contained within this museum was brilliant, I learnt so much about the build-up to and the actual assassination, even stood on the exact spot where JFK was shot! Spent the afternoon in a shopping mall and ate at Humperdinks Karaoke Bar that evening before heading back to our homestay, still very tired.

17^th March 2005

Awoke at 6.30am by the usual morning sounds, dishwasher being emptied, electric garage door, the heating and dogs perhaps we will get use to them as the week continues. Took training again for all the lads at 8.00am very hard High Intensity session for about an hour. Trevor Simpson joined in the training and he still has an excellent fitness level. Then we all headed off to Forth Worth. You can relive the Old West here. Fort Worth is the finest place in America to experience their proud Western heritage. You can watch a real rodeo. See the world’s only daily Cattle Drive. Take a ride on a vintage train. Sip a cold brew in an authentic saloon and shop for genuine cowboy gear. Hey, what do you expect from a city nicknamed ‘Cowtown?’ We then headed back for a rest before going out to see the Dallas Mavericks NBA team play. This was an experience and a half, seeing how the American’s get so excited about an NBA game, we joined in with the other 25,000 for a laugh. It gave us a whole new meaning to the word ‘Deeeefence’ and what to do with some ‘Thunderstix’. Whilst in downtown Dallas we took the opportunity to celebrate St Patrick’s Day with many Irish Americans! The place was very busy and we all had a great evening. The taxi ride home was an experience and half, as none of us could direct the taxi driver (so he said) to our homestay locations.

18^th March 2005

Training again at 8.00am feeling a little delicate following the evening before’s festivities. Medium intensity session finishing off with a knock-about. Breakfast at Tiffany’s, the usual healthy omelette then onto the Crowne Plaza Hotel (Dallas Cup HQ) to pick up our Dallas Cup vehicles and return our hired ones. Following this we went onto the Grapevine Shopping Mall, today was the hottest day of the trip with temperatures reaching 82-84 degrees. Back to John & Frances Marrs for about 6.30pm to get ready to be picked up at 7.30pm to go and see the Derailers (A Western band). We had an excellent meal at Two Rows, the Derailers performance was a Million Dollars.

19^th March 2005

Following a good night’s sleep at last we refereed a friendly at Richland Soccer Complex at 9.00am Solar Blue v Pirates (U14) my assistants were Babak Abouzar and a female assistant Michelle Loftus. They were two young referees who did a sound job on the day. 1- 0 to Solar Blue, it took me at least 10 minutes to get in the swing of things and it took the players about 20 minutes to get used to my style of refereeing. Good game, no cautions, no problems.

Following the games, we all went to the Crowne Plaza Hotel to pick-up our welcome packs and opening game appointments. Upon receipt I was over the moon with my first game, a Super Group appointment. Then we went onto the Galleria Shopping Mall, this was fantastic, where Russell and I spent an absolute fortune.

Returned early to get ready for the FIFA welcome reception. This was an excellent evening giving us a chance to chat and meet lots of new colleagues. At this meeting a number of awards were being presented and all of us were very proud to be present when our Chief Co-ordinator/Coach Trevor Simpson was presented with a 20 Year service award. It was a great honour to give Trevor a standing ovation, who definitely merited this acknowledgement of his services to the Dallas Cup. The trophy he received was magnificent!

20^th March 2005

Up early to get ready for the Mandatory Referee meeting at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. At this meeting all the Dallas Cup staff were introduced and Jim Mills (Referees Appointment Officer) went over one or two of the rules of the competition in preparation for the opening games which were due to start later today.

Then onto Richland Soccer Complex in time for Russell’s first game. I managed to watch the first half prior to getting ready for my game. He looked very comfortable and the game became a bit one sided and ended up 11 – 0. I got ready in the referee’s tent for my opening game a Super Group game between the Canada National Team & Deportivo Saprissa from Costa Rica. My two assistants were both from Texas Fernando Galvan & Ronald Ramirez, with Trevor Simpson as 4^th man. This was a very hard game in blazing heat on what I can only explain as a concrete pitch. It ended 1-0 to Deportivo Saprissa, a good game, I managed to work on my positioning to stay close to incidents. The losing team (Canada) had two goals disallowed but at the end of the game I got lots of handshakes and good positive feedback. Very pleased with my first outing. Only 1 caution for deliberately punching the ball into the net.

We then went onto the official Opening Ceremony at Lake Highlands Stadium. This is like the official opening of the Olympics with each team walking on with their respective national flag. Then the referees walk on and surprisingly we didn’t get too many boo’s! The official opening game was between Clube Aletico Paranense from Brazil v Dallas Texans Red. The Brazilians were very skilful and Dean Whitestone (National List Asst Referee) had an excellent game once he worked out were the pitch markings started and ended (Multi purpose surface). Hospitality for the referees was excellent and then following the conclusion of the game we went to the Fox & Hounds (which became our local) for light refreshments and a game of ‘killer’ pool.

21^st March 2005

Russell and I managed to get a bit of a lie in today, as both of us weren’t officiating until 2.00pm. I had two games today, one as an Asst Referee which I hadn’t been for some 2 years and then referee at 6.00pm.

As both Russell and I were feeling the strain of the demands of the hard pitches we decided to try and be as professional as possible and be pro-active in order to get through the tournament successfully. Therefore, we both joined The Finlay Ewing Cardiovascular & Fitness Centre in Dallas. We joined for a 2 week period and managed to get a relaxing swim and Sauna, brilliant! I then did my first line for nearly 2 years, Arsenal FC from California versus Yahara United Blue from Wisconsin, I enjoyed every minute but wouldn’t swap the flag for the whistle, as there’s nothing like being the boss (referee).

At 6.00pm I refereed Chicago Magic from Illinois and River Plate Red from Texas, my assistants were Stuart Attwell (from Birmingham FA) and Jeffery Gontarek from Maryland with Mick Hickling as my 4^th man. Again this was another tough game which ended 0 – 0 with 3 yellow cards all for reckless challenges. During this game I realised that I was being watched, as I saw the Referees officer and a couple of Assessors in the crowd. Also all the academy referees were watching, although having the pressure on it spurred me on to try and put in an impressive performance and made me very determine. Again, I got very good feedback from all! In addition, Stuart Attwell had an excellent game and I will certainly be watching him in the future, he has a bright career ahead of him in the game and he will go a long way.

Then afterwards back to our local (Fox & Hounds) for another round of ‘killer’ pool and a couple of well earned beers.

22^nd March 2005

Up early and off to Richland Soccer Complex to watch Russell and the Academy referees as my game wasn’t until 2.00pm. The pitches were still like concrete and today the weather was very cold with strong winds which didn’t help the games at all. Then I had to transfer venues and go to UTD (University of Dallas) Soccer Complex, this venue is similar to Richland but the pitches are even harder. My game was Santa Clara Sporting Ruckus/TM from California versus Chesapeake Athletic Dragons from Maryland. My assistants were Ab Brody from California and Ryan Atkin from Plymouth with my buddy (Russell) as my 4^th man. This game was fairly easy although I still managed to have 4 yellow cards.

Back to John & Frances Marr’s for a quick freshen up to get ready for the Referee’s Karaoke Party at Plano. The food and wine was excellent we spanked the ‘yanks’ at karaoke. This evening, don’t ask me why, but the senior guys (Russell & I) thought it was a good idea try and lead by example. It worked and we managed to bring a few of the academy referees out of their shells. On the way home we called into Hooter’s and unfortunately were served by the smallest bar-maid there! This evening was excellent and brought together a real team spirit amongst the lads.

23^rd March 2005

Two games today, the first one at 10.00am and the second as an assistant at 2.00pm. My first game was between FC Delco Crunch from Pennsylvania and ESC Royals from Oklahoma this was their last group game in which both teams needed a win to progress into the knock-out stages. My assistants were Hidajet Tica from Iowa and Joshua Stahr from Nebraska, with Justin Moore from Texas as my 4^th man. This was a tense game with both teams going for it, it ended up 1-1 so they had to wait for their fate. 2 yellow cards one for each team. Following this I went to watch as many academy referees as possible, Ryan Johnson picked up his game once he realised that I was watching him and when he did he looked a totally different referee. I therefore stressed that he needed to perform throughout his early career as he did for me in the 2^nd half and if he did then the rewards would follow. This was a very hot day with all the crucial last knock out games being played and one or two players were losing their heads a little as things weren’t going their way.

Then, onto my second game of the day to run the line for the second time in the last 2 years. The referee was Ab Brody from California who ran the line for me the day before. The other assistant was Brendan Mullarkey from New York and the 4^th man was Chris Kavanagh (U-no) from Manchester. This was a very interesting game!

This game brought back all my memories of running the line. De Anza Force Blue from California versus Solar SC from Texas. I awarded a goal for the ball clearly crossing the line and also kept my flag down for a second appeal for the ball crossing the line for the other team. Then right at the end of the game De Anza Force Blue keeper came up for a corner, as the cross came over the defending keeper (Solar SC) cleanly punched the ball away whilst being challenged unfairly by the other keeper.

The referee blow his whistle for a defensive free-kick but as he did the two keepers were fighting on the floor! There was a small melee and he asked for my opinion, I said red-card for both keepers, defensive freekick and once play has restarted blow for full-time. He said ‘thanks’. Unfortunately his creditability in my books went down immensely as he blew for full-time there and then and walked straight off the field of play!!! Then we went back to get changed to go out. We went to Carsons with fellow referees from Texas.

24^th March 2005

We had a lie in today, up at 8.00am then off to Denny’s for breakfast. Day off today no football therefore we did a little shopping and then went to Northfield Elementary School to talk to some children about refereeing and the English game. This was fantastic the children were very receptive to what we had to say and warming towards us, we then did demonstrations on the Buzzer flags, Heart Rate Monitor etc. etc.

We then watched the U12/U14 Quarter finals in the afternoon and later we went to the Spirits of the world evening arranged by the Dallas Cup.

25^th March 2005

Today was Quarter final day for the senior age groups and I was due to run the line on the U19 Quarter Final at 1.00pm. Prior to this we watched the other Quarter Finals with many games going to Extra-time or even penalties. The referee for my Quarter Final was Adam Garner from Texas, the other assistant was Joshua Stahr from Nebraska and the 4^th man was Paul Winders from Texas. This game burst into life in about the 80^th minute with a couple of goals and a head butt. All dealt with admirably and correct.

Finished the day off with an excellent steak at the Outback Steak House and a few beers at Gilley’s (Country Music Venue) in downtown Dallas. By this time the rumour-mill had started that some of the UK referees would be involved in the finals but we found this hard to believe as many of the English teams were doing so well in their respective age groups. We had worked really hard all week, so we kept our feet on the ground and tried to play down any speculation. Although we were celebrating the appointment of some of the academy referees to the younger age finals.

26^th March 2005

We were awaken by heavy rain and thunder and I mean heavy. I was thinking this is a bit late to soften the pitches now. Trevor confirmed that morning that I had been appointed to referee the U19 final and Russell was to be my 4^th man. I was really taken back but very, very honoured. Personally this was one of my secret objectives but you don’t like to shout about it, I was due to stand in front of the National Anthems in Lake Highlands Stadium at 3.00pm tomorrow. We shared our good news, with the PGMOL Management team by way of emailing Keith, Jim & Joe all three replied with great support and advice even though we were thousands of miles away this meant a lot to us knowing everyone was behind us.

To celebrate we went to watch England v N.Ireland (World Cup Qualifier) at the Londoner Pub in downtown Dallas. Whilst watching England whoop the Irish 4 – 0 we had a Great British Fry-up, washed down with a gallon of Orange Juice, brilliant.

Went to visit a few sports shops and went to IHOP Pancake House for lunch. In the afternoon we watched the U12 & U14 Finals and returned to our local for the usual ‘killer’ pool. This time though the Texan referees joined us (we weren’t wise enough though to put the stakes up). I couldn’t sleep so I started getting my kit ready at 1.00am in the morning for the big day ahead tomorrow.

27^th March 2005

Up at 8.00am went to Wallmart to purchase some thank you pressies for the drivers (Trevor, Mick & George), all 3 of them were fantastic throughout the tournament. Breakfast at Denny’s and then back to get ready for the game. Arrived at the stadium at 1.00pm, in best shirt, tie and jacket with highly polished shoes looking the business. We were interviewed by the local press and had pictures taken for the local newspaper. Following this I started to feel the pressure, as after all the excellent positive feedback and a successful tournament so far, I didn’t want to cock-up on the penultimate game of the tournament.

U19 Dallas Cup Final

IMG Soccer Academy Blue (Florida) v Toronto Junior Lynx (Canada)

Referee: Kevin Wright

Asst. Refs: Mladen Herceg (Ohio) & Jose Gesundheit (Chicago)

4^th Official: Russell Booth

The game itself went like a dream, the first caution was in the 43^rd minute for delaying the restart of play, the second caution was in the 82^nd minute for persistently infringing the laws of the game with the score level at 1 – 1 we went into extra-time. A further caution in the 106^th minute for a reckless challenge and by this time I was really feeling the strain of the tournament, the weather was very warm and humid. The game ended 2-1 to IMG. Following the presentations I felt very proud and I could not fault any of my team, I thought all four of us were very professional in the way we conducted ourselves.

After watching the Super Group Final we went to the Referee farewell party, where lots of photo’s where taken with new friends. Russell & I were so proud of the UK boys that we gave then all gifts (e.g. kit etc.) and I finally wished everyone a happy and healthy career in football.

We were all thanked by the Dallas Cup staff and an invitation to return next April was made, I personally recommend this tournament to any referee.

28^th March 2005

Up early to pack and get ready for the long flight home. We said our good-byes to John & Frances Marr who had welcomed us into their home for the duration of the tournament.

This was an amazing trip, one I will never forget and one I will always treasure, yee-ha!

Conclusions

Personally I could not have wished for this tournament to have gone any better:

• I managed to stay close to all incidents which helped me to sell all my decisions thus adding creditability to my overall control.

• Throughout the tournament I managed to adapt and change my style to coincide with the players, this helped with the man management of situations. Hand gestures/signals and tone of whistle are very important when refereeing International teams.

• I studied the FIFA Referees and learnt how they steadily imposed themselves on a game. Often their stature fluctuates throughout the game and I now know how to ‘boss’ a situation.

• The feedback received from the younger referees was overwhelming. They appreciated the time and effort that was spent with them.

• Many new friends were made and teamwork was not a problem.

• The pressure of tournament football certainly builds up as the closing stages of the competition arrive. Your preparation, training and relaxation needs to be perfect and tailored to your own personal requirements.

Summary

I will never forget my time in Dallas it was very enjoyable and the experience gained will never be lost.

The Dallas Cup is considered by many as the most competitive international youth soccer tournament in the world and I can now see why. I have witnessed the experiences and fully recommend them.

Whilst in Dallas I refereed 6 games, officiated as an assistant referee on 3 occasions and enjoyed them all. The amount of organisation that goes into the competition is massive and with 3 different venues the co-ordination of matches was fantastic.

Without the Home stay families many people would miss out, John & Frances Marr welcomed us into their house and let us carry out our commitments without any fuss. Our kits were washed and ready the very next day.

The highlight for me has obviously got to be going home with a medal. To referee the U19 Final was a true honour, pleasure and testament to those who chose me to go.

The preparation prior to the tournament is really important you need to acclimatise and get used to the conditions.

I have made many new friends and the Dallas Cup has allowed me to develop my refereeing to a new level. The constant advice and support from Trevor Simpson and Mike Hickling was fantastic and without them I would have never been able to achieve what I did.

This was not only a successful tournament for me but also a successful one for all the UK lads.

Finally I must say a BIG thank you to the PGMOL for giving me the opportunity to go to Dallas and I hope that my efforts will encourage others to succeed. Next year The Dallas Cup will be moving to a new stadium and a purpose built venue (Frisco Soccer & Entertainment Centre) so I hope that my representation will wet the appetite of others and allow others to be invited, so they can experience and gain the benefits that I did.