Home sweet home

8On Monday evening it was finally time to travel back to the UK after my Dallas Experience.

In the morning Jack and I were treated to a trip to the George Bush library in Dallas by our homestay Carol Toler. This library is home to numerous items of George Bush during his time as president of the USA, along with a walkthrough of his life as president including the horrific scenes of 9/11.

In the afternoon, Jack and I returned to Carols to pack our final belongings and say our goodbyes.

I have to say Toby, Carol, Will and Ben Toler were nothing short of amazing. No other word can describe them. I was honoured to stay at their home, and they simply couldnt do enough for me. I will be keeping in touch with them, and hopefully can meet up again in the near future as they are one of the nicest families i have ever met.

At 8pm, it was time to board our plane home from the Dallas Fortworth international airport, returning to London Heathrow at 11.15am English time on Tuesday. The flight went fairly quick, as i had a kip on the plane.

I catched a few more trains to get me back to Manchester where i met my girlfriend and gave her a massive cuddle!

i then returned home to my mum and dad, telling them both how fantastic the trip was.

Reflecting on Dallas, it was an honour to be part of. The whole experience both on and off the field was one to remember. I am a firm believer that you only get out of life what you put into it, and i felt i have ny absolute all in Dallas to make the right impression, which will hopefully be reflected in the coming years.

Everyone who attended Dallas from the FA were such nice people, and i have definately made friends for life.

Thank you to George McCaffrey and his team who have worked so hard to make the best experience of my life.

Mike B.

Day 13 - Peters Final and closing of Dallas Cup 2015

Sunday - the final day of Dallas Cup 2015.

A fairly early pick up tine of 9.15am to go watch Peter Bankes referee the U17s final at the Toyota Stadium. Congratulations to Peter on a great appointment.

Now Peters game was very different to Jacks the day before, as he sent off 2 players and cautioned a handful! To be fair to him, he was left with no option but to do so, and again did the FA proud...

From this game, we returned to our homestay, where the rest of the group were invited round to have Easter Dinner. You could clearly see today how much the group has jelled over this 2 weeks, and how we have all learnt so much and become great friends in the process.

After the meal, we all went back to the Toyota stadium to watch the final game of Dallas Cup 2015 - the Gordon Jago Superground 19s game between Monterrey (Mexico) and Cortiba (Brazil). We all met Gordon Jago last week, and he was a true inspiration to us all. Unfortunately Gordon lost his wife recently, and has set up a charity in her name to help support the Dallas Police Department as this was her area of work. Throughout the 2 weeks, we have used a "fine system"when people have made silly comments / wore bad clothes etc ... a bit of light hearted fun. The money raised from fines for the group was $400, and we have given $250 of that to Gordons charity. Gordon was very appreciative of this.

After the game, we made our way to the farewell referee party at the inter continental hotel. I have met many friends in the "referee family" over the last 2 weeks, and will now keep in touch with lots of referees from all over the world.

That marked the official end of the Dallas Cup 2015.

We returned to our homestays, relaxed and played lots of pool. Our flight is at 8pm tomorrow evening, so another busy day is ahead of us tomorrow, and i will update you all again soon!

Mike B.

Day 12 - Jacks Final

Saturday morning i had the privaledge of a lie-in until 10am.

I was picked up at 11am to be taken to FC Dallas ground - The Toyota Stadium to watch Jack Nield referee the U14s cup final. Upon arrival at the ground, i was nothing short of impressed at the 22,000 seater facility.

Jack refereed very well, issuing no cards throughout the game and managing each situation which could potentially escalate.

We then returned to our houses, where we got showered and changed ready for our big family meal. The family meal was a gathering of all the homestay families, referees and coaches. The meal is paid for by the referees as a thank-you for the kindness and generosity our homestays have showed us over the last 2 weeks.

Our meal took place at the Texas Life and Cattle resturaunt, where each of us had a gorgeous sirloin steak.

After the food, each of us did a speech infront of the group about our homestays and how great they have been. I cant thank Toby, Carol, Will and Ben Toler for allowing me to stay with them for 2 weeks. They are absolutely amazing people who i will forever look up to, they simply cant do enough for you. I will be keeping intouch with them all, and they are always welcome back at mine in the UK!

We all then passed over our presents to our homestays, and i gave Toby and Carol my gift of a Bolton Wanderers football shirt signed by Kevin Davies.

After the presentations, a few of us refs and coaches went out for a drink to celebrate an amazing 2 weeks.

Mike B.

Day 11 - The Semi Final

On Friday i was appointed as referee for the U15s semi final. The game was between FC Dallas and Golden State.

I felt I gave my best refereeing performance of the tournament, so i saved best until last! I felt my management of the game was very strong and i got some good feedback. This was my last game of the tournament, so its time to relax and recover.

From then, we went back to our homestays, got a quick shower and change, then went to a place called the "Chicken Scratch". It was a bar with live music on. It was a great atmosphere. I had a Buffalo Chicken Sandwich. To my surprise, i soon realised i had ordered chicken inside a Scone... yes a Scone! They call this a sandwich in America, so i was taken back by how bizzare this was!

From here, we went out to a place called Top Golf which is a driving range, where there is live music and a bar. It was really good, and we all had a laugh!

One final word for Jack Nield, who i can confirm has been appointed as referee for the U14s final on Saturday, to be played at the home of FC Dallas - The Toyota Stadium.

I have homestayed with Jack, and i can say i came here as a colleague of Jack, but i will return home with him as a close friend. He is a great lad, and i will be keeping in touch with him when im back at home. Congratulations to him.

Mike B.

Day 10 - Shopping and 4th Official

So i got up at 9am for a change today ... a lie in, and god it felt good!!!

I first went for a leg massage at one of the homestays which helped greatly and was so relaxing!

The FA Academy did a spot of shopping in the morning at Allens outlet mall, which is very similar to Cheshire Oaks for those who have been.

We then made our way to moneygram which is a state of the art brand new complex consisting of 12 pitches. I was placed on a U14s Quarter final with 3 American officials. I was fourth official on this game. The game went to penalties, so the game ended up being very long so at times got difficult due to the baking sun beaming down on us.

Next we returned to our homestays to have some lovely deli sandwiches, then got ourselves ready for the Dallas cup casino night. This was where we all got $2000 fake money, and gambled on games such as roulette, poker and blackjack. The more chips we had at the end of the night, the more chance we had of winning prizes such as a signed referees shirt from Howard Webb. I didnt win nothing, which didnt surprise me!

Thats another day gone ... 3 days to go!

I have a U15s semi final as referee on Friday, which is a great appointment that i am very much looking forward to.

Mike B.

Day 9 - Assistant Referee X2

Today i had 2 further games as assistant referee - one at 10am and one at 2pm.

The first was a line for Peter Bankes (again!), with a Scottish elite list assistant referee, and Rob Jones as 4th official. The game went a bit sour, with 2 players disagreeing over a decision, which ended with both players spitting at one another. In my opinion this is one of the worst acts a player could do, and rightfully so Mr Bankes issued both players with red cards. Apart from this, the game went well.

The 2nd game i was on the line for a Fifa referee from New Zealand. I was impressed by him, even though he clearly wore the wrong shoes as he fell over 3 times during the game! This game was an U19s super group game between Everton and a Japanese team. Everton won 2-0, in a very frantic, fast paced contest.

After this, we all went as a group to the "Go4it" sports bar. We all had some food and played killer pool. I was my usual grumpy self when i lost at killer, as i expected to win!

At 10:30pm we made our way back to our homestays and off to bed.

From now onwards, the tournament is knockout as the group games have all been played. Next up is the semi finals and finals, so fingers crossed i receive one of these appointments! I will of course keep you posted.

Mike B.

Day 8 - Further games and Mr Webb!

Another 8:30am get up ... ready for my only game of the day at 10am ... between San Jose Earthquakes and New Mexico.

Keith Stroud coached me during this game, i received good feedback regarding my management of the game and my fitness. I had some development points regarding my positioning which is a working progress, along with some advice about giving the "easy free kicks". Overall the advice given was positive and i was pleased with my overall performance, apart from the fact my feet were very sore!!! I also got some positive feedback from Howard Webb!

At 12pm, Mr Howard Webb volunteered to referee a game, so of course i had to watch! I was so impressed by how relaxed he was, and his presence impressed me.

For the rest of the afternoon we spent it at our homestay, being met by Jacks Dad and Grandad, who have travelled to Dallas for 1 week. We all settled and had a lovely meal.

At 7pm it was time to get picked up to go to a referees party as a hawayian theme. Fair to say the English officials were the best dressed up!!! We had a great time on the kareoke, and it really brought the referew family together.

So tomorrow i have 2 games, both as assistant referee. One is assistant for Peter Bankes, and one is for a Fifa referee.

Mike B.

Day 7 - Further games

Finally, a little bit of a lie in! We got picked up at 8:30am to get to the fields for 9am.

The first games commence at 10am, and run through to 6pm. The games are full length, and you can be appointed as Referee, Assistant Referee or 4th official, and you usually referee 2 games a day.

My first game commenced at 10am, an U17s game between RM Academy (Mexico) and New Mexico FC (Mexico). I was appointed as referee, along with 2 USA assistants and USA 4th official. The game went very well, with 1 yellow card being issued for persistant fouling. I was fortunate enough to be watched on this game by John Farries (my coach), Steve Dunn (PGMOL coach) and Howard Webb. I received some very positive feedback, and some good developement points for future games.

At 12pm, i had a 1 hour break before preparation for my 2nd game as Assistant Referee for Rob Jones (level 2a referee), along with a USA assistant referee and New Zealand Fifa 4th official. This game was an U19's Super Group fixture between a Japanese team whos name i wont attempt to write and River Plate.

The game again went very well, with the help of the communications kits we were able to take plenty of time before signalling which was very beneficial.

My feet were very sore after today, so much rest will be utilised now!

I have settled down, returned back to my homestay and had a takeaway pizza.

Feet up and then an early night will be on the cards!

Mike B.

Day 6 - The tournament begins ...

Sunday 29th March 2015.

Very early start today - 6:30am infact ... as we had a referee meeting at the Crowne Plaza hotel at 7am ... to go through tournament rules and regulations.

After this, it was time to make our way to Richland College, which has 10 state of the art football pitches. I watched numerous colleagues officiate their first games of the tournament, and soon realised the temperature was fast reaching 100 !

At 1pm, it was time for Peter Bankes, Rob Jones, Josh Few and myself to make our way to the 90,000 seater CottonBowl stadium in Dallas for our opening ceremy game between Valencia and Tigres. As explained in my previous blog, it is truly an honour and privaledge to officiate on this game.

The game went fantasically well. It was the first time i had used Communications kits, and I also used vanishing spray. The atmosphere was electric, with over 10,000 people at the stadium. I had butterflies, as i knew that the likes of Howard Webb, Keith Stroud and Dave Allison were all sat in the crowd, along with my friends and family watching the live stream at home.

It was a fantastic experience, one of which i will never forget. The feedback i got from the select group referees, also Howard and Dave was second to none.

My legs are sore and i am very tired, so that calls for an early night ahead of 3 games tomorrow.

Mike B.

Day 5 - Referee Registration and Opening Ceremony

This morning there was no fitness session due to the Dallas Cup commencing tomorrow (Sunday).. so we got an extra hour in bed!

Through the night, i received an email from The Dallas Cup appointments team advising me that i have been appointed to an opening ceremony game at the Cottonbowl stadium on Sunday. This is a massive appointment for me, the best i could hope for! I am assistant referee for this game (Valencia v Tigres) and there is an expected crowd of around 15,000 which is the most i have officiated infront of.

The team of officials is an all English affair, therefore the coaches and the FA are delighted with this appointment. The team of officials are as follows:

Referee - Peter Bankes
Assistant Referee - Mike Barlow
Assistant Referee - Josh Few
Fourth Official - Rob Jones

Today at 8:30am we met on the fields at Richland College, and tested out our Communication kits which we will be using in the opening ceremony games, which i believe will be televised and have live streams on the internet.

From there we had some lunch at a local deli take out, then headed off for a spot of shopping in the afternoon.

We arrived back at our homestays at 3:30pm, to get showered and changed ready for our referee registation and reception.

We got suited and booted, wearing our FA badges and ties with pride as we entered the reception. We booked in as match officials and met 200 referees from all over the world. To speak to them about different officiating styles in their country was amazing.

Howard Webb attended the reception, and met with us FA referees seperately to introduce himself to us and inspire us in preparation for our first games. Meeting Howard was a fantastic experience, one in which i wont forget. He in my opinion is the best referee this world has ever seen, and to meet him inspired me, and i can only aspire to be like him one day.

The reception ended at 9:30pm, where we retired and went back to our homestays.

Let the games commence!!!

Mike B.

Day 4 - Fort Worth and Rodeo

As usual, we all met at 7am on the local high school running track to undertake a fitness session. Todays session was much lighter, with the Dallaa Cup due to start on Sunday we didnt want to be bursting a gut a few days before.

The session was a recovery session, where we completed numerous laps of the field at a slow pace, and then had a bit of light hearted fun by playing some football games between one another.

Oh ... i almost forgot ... every day a high-vis vest is passed to someone due to a silly comment or action they have said or done ... and it was my turn to wear the vest today, which says numpty on the back! I had to wear it all day, and yes it was embarassing!

Breakfast at Chubbys was next on the agenda, where we was joined by Keith Stroud (National List Referee) and Dave Allison (National List Manager) who will be staying with us from now onwards.

We then headed off to Fort Worth, which is a city close to Dallas and is the home of the Cowboys. We had a tour of the area, and was told about the history of the city.

We then had some time to do some shopping, and i of course had to buy a cowboy hat! We saw a cattle march, where the cowboys directed lots of bulls through the streets of Fort Worth.

Steak was then on the menu, as we all settled down and had a meal. The food was terrific i must say!

From here it was time for the Rodeo show. I have never experienced anything quite like it in my life. The way the bulls threw the cowboys off was scary, and at one point i thought a cowboy was dead!!! Some parts of the show I didnt agree with (being an animal lover) but i am glad i have experienced it.

So thats day 4, we now move onto Saturday where we will sign into the tournament, and also meet Howard Webb who flew out this morning.

Mike B.

Day 3 - Homeless Volunteer Service and Referee evening

As you may have already guessed by now, each morning consists of a physical training regime, commencing at 7am.

Todays fitness session was again split into 2 parts - the first about how to manage attacking free kicks. The 2nd session was a speed agility session, where we were required to run at different paces, sprinting in short bursts and changing direction rapidly, very similar to how we would referee a game.

It is important to note that today we trained with the Australian match officials here in Dallas, it was a pleasure to meet and train with them.

After the training, we went on to visit "The Bridge" which is a food centre for the homeless of Dallas. All the Dallaa Cup team volunteered in preparing meals and serving the homeless with drinks for a 45 minute period. During that time we served 700 meals to homeless people, which was a terrific effort. I cant explain how much of an eye opener this experience was, and how appreciative the people were in the time we took out to help them.

Many of the customers asked me questions about where i am from, why i am in Dallas etc... once they knew we were from England and were match officials they were very impressed!

This experience made me realise how lucky we are and how we take for granted what we actually have. I felt a sence of acheivement by giving something back to the community.

Next stop was to visit SMU elementary school, conducting a Q and A session with 80 children. The kids seemed really interested in us and what we do. Many of the children asked me and others for our autographs, along with "Selfies" with them. It was nice to again give something back to the community.

Onto the evening, Jack and I had it easy as everyone was coming to our house to have a informal discussion led by Steve Dunn (ex premier league referee) about numerous issues in our game. The topics covered were communication, persistant offenders and positioning in open play. It was a fantastic session where we all got involved, and the ideas and thoughts i took from the evening are second to none.

Another long day today, full of new experiences which i will long remember.

This Dallas trip is quickly becoming one of the highlights of my life.

Lets see what tomorrow has to bring!!!

Mike B.

Day 2 - Endurance Fitness and Dallas Cowboys Stadium Tour

Another fantastic day in Dallas started with the usual 6am get up for 7am fitness session.

The fitness session was split into 2 parts -  the first was positioning on corner kicks. The whole group learnt a lot from Barry Gee during this session, including lots of prevantative man management techniques.

The 2nd session was an endurance session which consisted of walks, jogs, 3/4 pace and sprints across the pitch. This was repeated 6 times and was very difficult, but the whole group managed to pass the test.

At 10am it was followed by the usual Chubbys breakfast ... of which i had a breakfast wrap and pancakes ... fair to say i was stuffed!

We then made our way to the Crowne Plaza hotel which is the hub for the Dallas Cup organizers. We met Andy Swift at the hotel, who is the tournament executive director. We also met Gordon Jago, who was the previous executive director. Gordon has had a very colourful career, playing for Charlton and Fulham, but also managing QPR and Millwall. He was an inspiration to us match officials and it was a pleasure to meet him.

Next stop was the Dallas Cowboys Stadium...

I have NEVER seen anything like it in my entire life ... Wembley is made to look small compared to this stadium. It has state of the art facilities, including a closing roof, the largest TV in the world and over 100,000 seats. We went on a tour of the stadium, where we sat in executive seats, went into the cheerleader and Dallas Cowboys changing rooms and other fascinating areas. It truly was a tour to remember, as I will never experience a stadium like that again for sure.

Onto the evening, Jack and I went bacl to our homestay and went out for a Tex-Mex meal. We ate at "Marianos" which is a local resturaunt with food to die for. I opened my taste buds a little by trying Guacamole (not too keen!!) and salsa sauces which was very good. Fajitas was for the main course, and ice cream and a doughnut like dish was for dessert. Many thanks to the Toler family for taking us out for our tea.

So now we are back and relaxed at the Tolers, having an early night. I have so many pictures from the experiences today, which i will put onto Facebook when i return home... but another fantastic day at Dallas.

Role on Day 3!!!

Mike B

Day 1 - High Intensity fitness and tour of downtown Dallas

Today was our first full day in Dallas... and definately was one to remember.

We were advised to be ready for 7am, so Jack and I got up at 6am, had some fruit and toast, then got changed into our referee training kits.

At 7am, we were picked up and taken to the local high school athletics track to participate in a physical session, commencing between 7.40am to 9am.

The first session involved assistant referee technical skills on the field of play, tutored by Andy Hall and John Ferries.

Following this was a high intensity fitness session. The team undertook the Premier League fitness test. I am happy to say i completed the test, but it was a tough test!

After the session, we went back to our relative houses to shower.

At 9:45am we was picked up, and went to "Chubbys" breakfast bar... what a name!! The food was great!I had a full American breakfast (similar to English but much bigger) and served with pancakes. It was stunning!

From here, we went to Downtown Dallas to visit the John F Kennedy museum and the grassy knoll, where the president was assassinated. This was a fantastic experience, and was a real eye opener to a key point in American history. Its interesting to notice the many conspiracy theories which suggest there were multiple killers... who do you believe?

After a great day, we headed back to our relevant homes and relaxed for a few hours. Jack and I played a good few games of pool with Will Toler (the son of the families whos house we are staying at) which was really good.

At 6pm, we headed to one of the other referee home stays where we all met as one. We had a BBQ (which was awesome) and did a 1 minute introduction to everyone at the party. It was great to meet the rest of the families and relax in a social way.

I cant describe to you how nice the families are ... we are so welcomed by the Toler family and are really enjoying our stay.

The weather has been amazing up to now, it feels like summer!

Anyways, enough rambling on i could talk all day!

Will update you all tomorrow on Day 2!

Mike B