When Graham Taylor was the manager of England a TV documentary labelled it as ” The Impossible Job”.
But Chris Foy and his colleagues might be inclined to think they have a tougher task.
Foy is one of an elite number of referees who take charge of the English Premier League in England, overseeing the running of some of the biggest football matches in the world.
It’s a thankless task. Every fan knows that the men in the middle often can’t do right for doing wrong.
Every decision the officials make is scrutinised, debated and picked apart from all the TV angles – with possible multi-million pound implications each time they blow their whistle.
Get it right and no-one notices. Get it wrong and – as Rob Styles knows all too well after his blunders in the Liverpool vs Chelsea game recently – the referee is roundly abused from the terraces and openly criticised by managers, pundits and the media alike.
But as this new top-flight season in England gets into full swing you’ll struggle to see any signs of the men ion black letting the pressure get to them.
In fact, Foy believes elite referees have never been better prepared.
He says the appliance of science is enabling England’s match officials to cope with the increasing demands of the modern game.
Intense fitness programmes and psychology are just some of the tools usded to further their education as they embrace all sorts of innovations and approaches in order to gain an edge.
Foy, who has 23 years refereeing experience, said: “The game has never been as fast and we have got to keep pace.
“We are trying to do that.Two sports scientists work alongside us and every week they email a training programme, which we have to adhere to.
“We meet as a team of referees every two weeks. That entails physical training and mental stimulation.
“We talk to sports psychologists, who tell us how we can look after ourselves better.
“We know we have to be in peak condition and referees at this level have never been fitter.
“While we might not be as young as the players, we are more accomplished at reading the game today.
“While someone makes a 70 yard pass more often than not we are able to judge it correctly.”
Both on and off the pitch, England’s referees are now more professional than ever – they have to be, such is the high profile nature of the EPL.
Keith Hackett is the man in charge of them all.
He is the general manager of Professional Game Match Officials Ltd (PGMO).
The very fact that such a company exists shows how much of a “business” modern day refereeing has become. And that is highlighted even further by a recent sponsorship deal struck up between the PGMO and AirAsia.
The airline have signed a three year partnership with the PGMO and Hackett believes their investment will help make the standard of refereeing even better.
“This deal will enable us to continue to improve our training methods,” he said. “It will also aid our investigations of new technology and our development of up and coming referees.
“We want to ensure that the standard of refereeing in England remains some of the best in the world.”
Mark Halsey, who took charge of the Community Shield match between Manchester United and Chelsea at Wembley recently, believes referees are fitter than ever.
“It is very important to keep in shape,” he said.
“The fitter you are, the quicker the brain works.
“I train most fays and am equipped with a heart monitor. The data is downloaded by a sports scientist. You need to be able to meet the demands of the modern game.
“Of course you can make mistakes. We are human after all, not machines. But we do care about our performance.”
That said, Foy would like nothing better than to be out of the spotlight this season, his seventh in the English Premier League.
“I would rather people were talking about the football rather than referees,” he continued.
“There is a lot of money swilling around in the game but you cannot think about that as a referee. All you can do is take control of what is in front of you.
“I am excited about what the new season might bring. I am sure what everyone wants is to see respect and fair play ensured across the board.”
Well, that would seriously be an impossible job.