After more than 23 seasons in the middle, Manawatu’s Mark Rule has refereed his last local game when he took the field for the last round, top-of-the-table match in the men’s Central Federation League.
Rule officiated the match between Palmerston North United and Palmerston North Marist, a game that decided the title in United’s favour.
In a tribute to Rule’s contribution to the game, Central Football said: “Central Football wants to thank Mark for his incredible contribution to refereeing and for paving the way and guiding the next generation of officials.”
The federation has shared a Q/A with Rule, providing an insight into his career and what it takes to become a top-level official.
Q: At what age did you start refereeing and what inspired you to begin?
A: I used to play for my school’s first eleven and then for Christchurch United (in what is now the Southern League). I can’t exactly put a finger on why I stopped playing, but when the opportunity to ref half a match of a mate’s team came up, I thought, I think I know most of the Laws so why not. I was about 20 or 21 then.
Q: Can you share a pivotal moment in your career that shaped your refereeing pathway?
A: A gentlemen named Aubrey Wheeler (RIP) walked across Tullet Park (the home ground for my mate’s team), after I had just finished reffing a match and said to me: “You know you can represent your country as a referee. We have an association which meets at English Park every Monday why don’t you come on down”. Without this moment, I’m not sure where I’d be refereeing-wise.
Q: What advice would you give to people thinking about becoming a referee?
A: Come and give it a go!
You get the best view in the stadium, see some very good football (and some very average football) but you can be right there in amongst it all. Refereeing teaches you skills that are transferable to many aspects of daily life, conflict resolution being just one.
Central Football has a good mentoring programme and is keen to foster new refs.
Q: Looking back on your career, what do you consider to be the highlight of your officiating career?
A: There are many highlights it seems disingenuous to pick just one. I have had the pleasure of meeting so many people from all over the world united by our passion for refereeing. Having said that, if we are talking about specific matches, then it would be when Mathew Conger and I were appointed to a friendly match between Brazil and Argentina in Saudi Arabia near the end of 2019.
The calibre of these teams is fantastic and to be pitchside with them was something I will never forget and the photo of me standing next to Messi in the team lineup made an excellent gift for my football-mad nephew.
We were also appointed to a Saudi Premier League match featuring Cristiano Ronaldo in September 2023.
In my earlier years, David Beckham and the LA Galaxy visited and played in Auckland which I was also appointed to. Having been an official on matches featuring these three great footballers is something not may others in New Zealand can claim.
My 100th A-League match was also a special moment as my family and buddies from Wellington turned up and made a banner for me which was hung over one end of the stands. Their support of my career and the friends I have made are the most important thing.
Tournament-wise being selected for 2014 and 2022 FIFA World Cups was my career highlight.
Q: How did you approach ongoing professional development and learning as a referee, and how did this contribute to your success on the field?
A: The amount of behind-the-scenes work would likely surprise most people. This involves ongoing fitness, team building, mental coaching and match analysis to name a few. We spend hours and hours watching footage, analysing match situations and scenarios, physical training on the pitch and at the gym.
As with players, the level of scrutiny and intensity increases the higher up you go. For example at a FIFA tournament we would train for three hours physically every morning then be expected to watch any matches in the afternoon or attend debriefs of previous matches.
With the A-League, we have weekly Zoom calls from our coaches where we analyse our previous match performance.
There is the time difference to contend with for the bi-monthly games presented in 1-2 hour online sessions. More and more now, elite referees are athletes in their own rights and this is something that is very poorly recognised by sporting organisations. All of this takes time, but without all this background upskilling happening in the modern game there is no way a referee would make it to the top.
Q: Reflecting on your career, what do you believe was the most challenging aspect of being a referee, and how did you overcome those challenges?
A: As refs, I think we have to take comments directed at us with a grain of salt. Players, fans coaches and spectators will always see things from their perspective. After all we have to remember that the game is for the players.
However, the Laws of the Game are frequently updated and we spend a lot of time discussing how these Laws are to be interpreted which is something no one else involved in a match does.
Referees are asked to act and judge solely based on the actions of players from one angle. Referees aren’t the ones committing the bad tackles or tactical fouls but we are often vilified for being forced to act based on a players actions.
There’s a lot of “armchair” refs out there who like to think they know the laws and “how does a ref miss that” after watched it slowed down and replayed twice. I’d challenge those people to come give it a go and you’ll see very quickly how things can be missed.
But it is these moments where we miss something and being mentally able to tune out all the outside noise that often provides the greatest learning.
Q: Do you have any plans to stay involved in the sport after retiring from your refereeing position?
A: There have been discussions as to what is next for me in terms of my involvement in refereeing. At this stage, I am just looking towards finishing this calendar year with a couple of FIFA World Cup qualifying matches and our with our National League before deciding on the next step.
Acknowledgement
We thank Central Football for the information provided in this story.
Results
Games to be played on Saturday August 31, 2024
Men’s Lotto Central Federation League
Games played on Saturday August 31, 2024
Palmerston North United 4 (Benjamin Mori 9′, 60′, Ryan McDermott 40′, Anthony Jones 47′)
Palmerston North Marist 0
Western 2 (Jordi Fettis 42′, Lewis McHugh 89′)
Whanganui Athletic 1 (Ryan Holden 38′)
Peringa United 3 (Domenico Squatriti 26′, 44′, Jayden Gally 50′)
New Plymouth Rangers 5 (Taku Warren 4′, 13′, 59′, 82′, Tre Dejohn 66′)
Gisborne Thistle 1 (Alexander Shanks 90+2′)
Taradale 1 (Liam Percy-Fysh 37′)
Havelock North Wanderers — bye
This story was first published on August 31, 2024, and updated on September 2, 2024.
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