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Where are you this weekend? - 2025/26

Funny story…

Thursday, the assigner emails the referee group that the assigned referee for the Illinois women (11am KO) has fallen ill, and asks if anyone will take it. I offer to double up if no one takes it, but never hear back…until 1030 this morning when the assigner calls and asks if my offer still stood.

I was originally heading to help AR the mens A side game pro bono (not officially assigned, but the center is a good friend), but I check the GPS (I can get there around 11am), and say I’ll take it, but KO is moving to 1130. I square things with the center and the match sec for the men’s side, and haul ass on the backroads - it was homecoming for the football team, so my usual route was a no-go.

Ended up getting a barnburner of a game; visitors won 30-26 in a back and forth game that came down to the final play.

The B side…I fucking hate turf when it’s 80+F without a cloud in the sky.
80 in the sky is about 100-105 on the ground
 
So this weekend is my first jaunt out in the middle in the UAE. Dubai Hurricanes U18G v Dubai Sharks U18G at the 7s Stadium. 9.30am KO o_O. Will take me an hour to get there as I live outside of Dubai in an emirate at the north of the UAE. Means I am going to have to leave at 7.30am. I remind my self it's for the future generations.

Following that at 5pm I am 4th official for the Dubari Sharks v Bahrain in the West Asia Super Rugby comp at Al Habtoor Polo Club, 20 mins up the road from the 7s Stadium.

So a full day officiating. Got a little taste last week to get used to the atmos at the 7s Stadium when I shadowed the 4th offical for a Premier leage game out here. That was a 7pm KO. The humidity is definitley going to be a factor haha. Going to take plenty of water and electrolites.
 
This weekend N2N AR2

  • Sheffield v Preston Grasshoppers

Sheffield still unbeaten with maximum points. Preston in 6th with 2 wins from 4.

Weather looks a bit rubbish (wind and rain) for the weekend - we'll see.
 
HS Girls' 7s league in Columbia, MO - temps in the 80s F, glad I'll actually be on grass. 530am is going to come awful early

Pittsburg St (KS) @ SIU men in Carbondale. Mid-America has a lot of clubs at many levels, and simply not enough whistles to go around to cover the vast geographic area (Missouri, eastern Kansas, eastern Nebraska, northern Arkansas, nothern Oklahoma)
 
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HS Girls' 7s league in Columbia, MO - temps in the 80s F, glad I'll actually be on grass. 530am is going to come awful early

Pittsburg St (KS) @ SIU men in Carbondale. Mid-America has a lot of clubs at many levels, and simply not enough whistles to go around to cover the vast geographic area (Missouri, eastern Kansas, eastern Nebraska, northern Arkansas, nothern Oklahoma)
...Pittsburg cried off. Back to the HS Girls 7s in Columbia, then Iowa State @ Mizzou men (D1AA) at 3pm.
 
Utrecht 2 vs Alkmaar. Both second in their table last year, now shuffled into the same group.

I usually ref the southern league at this level, but this is the northern league (so I don't really know these teams). Three weeks in, this league has three forfeits/regulation losses and four results with more than 60 points difference... I think there's some settling in to do, it could go any way.
 
...Pittsburg cried off. Back to the HS Girls 7s in Columbia, then Iowa State @ Mizzou men (D1AA) at 3pm.
Third day in a row my assignment has changed.

The HS 7s is down to 3 teams, so a more local ref will cover the 3 games, and a different one will also cover the 3pm KO.

Now - AR for Metropolis @ St Louis Bombers, Mens D1. Metro are eliminated from playoff contention with 3 games to go and have shipped a lot of points (avg 65 ppg allowed, Bombers have scored 52 ppg and haven't lost a league match in three years.
 
After all of September off(one game called off) mostly sunning myself in Italy and Cyprus, back to reality Egremont v Millom Cumbria League L7. after last Saturday's 30 degree sunshine, this weekend's forecast looks horrendous!
 
This weekend N2N AR2

  • Hull v Macclesfield

Hull got their first win last week and climbed a few places leaving Scunthorpe as the only winless side in N2N. Hull put out a HUUUGGGE pack last week with a prop and a hooker in the second row - good luck in those lineouts!

I presume it'll be same this week. 3 ex-Super Leaguers in the backs - Tom Lineham, Jamie Shaul and Reece Dean

Macclesfield came across from N2W last year (where they've been since coming up from level 5) - leaving Lymm and Chester the dubious pleasure of travelling to Cambourne and Redruth. As such I've never officiated any of their games. Doing ok in N2N though, with 4 wins from 5
 
So this weekend is my first jaunt out in the middle in the UAE. Dubai Hurricanes U18G v Dubai Sharks U18G at the 7s Stadium. 9.30am KO o_O. Will take me an hour to get there as I live outside of Dubai in an emirate at the north of the UAE. Means I am going to have to leave at 7.30am. I remind my self it's for the future generations.

Following that at 5pm I am 4th official for the Dubari Sharks v Bahrain in the West Asia Super Rugby comp at Al Habtoor Polo Club, 20 mins up the road from the 7s Stadium.

So a full day officiating. Got a little taste last week to get used to the atmos at the 7s Stadium when I shadowed the 4th offical for a Premier leage game out here. That was a 7pm KO. The humidity is definitley going to be a factor haha. Going to take plenty of water and electrolites.
So this was brutal. I got to the stadium at 8.15am, it was already 35deg. By 9am the humidity was at a level where it was like breathing pea soup. Was a demanding challenge which was made worse by the fact the girls just played as if everything was normal.
The evening game was interesting. KO moved an hour earlier as Bahrain had to catch a flight. 2 x 20 min red cards one of which was upgraded to a full red after the same player threw a punch in the skirmish after the 20 min red incident. Will be an interesting write up. I was just 4th official on the sideline so quite a nice easy job dealing with subs and timekeeping. Match is streamed live which I didn't realise. A nice little touch
 
After all of September off(one game called off) mostly sunning myself in Italy and Cyprus, back to reality Egremont v Millom Cumbria League L7. after last Saturday's 30 degree sunshine, this weekend's forecast looks horrendous!
Well our society made a sensible decision and decided to make sure we didn't have to travel too far and re appointed many of us closer to home so I ended up in my home town for Hawcoat Park v St Benedicts who despite the wind produced an good game HP winning 26-3 my original game ended with two reds so I dodged the paperwork there! Happy days.
 
Staying home for my assignment - local side is hosting Edwardsville (bottom of the barrel in the bottom division).

I’d be shocked if 30 players show up
 
Likely the only "assigned" AR for Chicago Lions @ St Louis Bombers. Top two teams in the division; Bombers have a game in hand and up by one point on the log, but the Lions have a mathematical chance of pipping them to host a semi.
 
Sunderland vs Percy Park (L6) - PP were relegated into North 2 last season and Sunderland promoted into it so should be interesting
 
Likely the only "assigned" AR for Chicago Lions @ St Louis Bombers. Top two teams in the division; Bombers have a game in hand and up by one point on the log, but the Lions have a mathematical chance of pipping them to host a semi.
A second AR appeared, as did a second last minute assignment

AR1 for Dartmouth @ Lindenwood (NIRA Women) - two teams that are likely to meet again in the playoffs. Hosts should have the edge assuming their talisman Freda Tafuna is fully recovered from her breakout appearances at the WRWC.
 
A second AR appeared, as did a second last minute assignment

AR1 for Dartmouth @ Lindenwood (NIRA Women) - two teams that are likely to meet again in the playoffs. Hosts should have the edge assuming their talisman Freda Tafuna is fully recovered from her breakout appearances at the WRWC.
All for nothing - Lindenwood pushed KO to 11am to try to beat the storms - based on the fact that every other game in the metro area also got called due to lightning…
 
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