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

Finally arrived!

After a long day of travelling, we finally arrived at the house of the Toler family in Dallas at 10:30pm English time (5:30pm USA)

It all started with breakfast at the Marriott at 6am, then at 8am we left the hotel to arrive at Heathrow Terminal 5 ... wow that airport is massive!!

On the journey all the "Dallas class of 2015" wore FA suits so it was fair to say we got a few looks!

The flight was 10 hours in length, and consited of numerous meals and in flight entertainment such as DVDs and Music ... for this being my first long haul flight it wasnt as bad as i had first predicted!

When we arrived at Dallas Fort Worth airport i had my first glimpse of "American Authority" .... wow the boarder patrols are strict!!!

We eventually met with George McCaffery and were transferred to our relevant homestays which are around 45 minutes drive from the airport.

When Jack and I arrived at the Tolers house, we had the WOW factor. The house is stunning, and the family are lovely.

Toby and Carol Toler occupy the house, and their son Will Toler lives with them. We felt right at home straight away due to how welcoming the family were.

Soon as we arrived, we were greeting with some traditional Texas food ... Chicken, pasta and potatoes ... damn it was good! We then had homemade cookies for dessert which were to die for!!

We were given a tour of the house, which includes a fantastic games room.

We settled down with the family at 8pm local time to watch "Goodfellas"movie and talk about ... yep you guessed it ... football!! (or should i say Soccer?!?!?!?!)

Jack and I have really been made to feel at home already, and are now on our feet after being up for 21 hours straight ... so i think that calls for bed!

Up at 6am tomorrow for a high intensity PGMOL fitness session courtesy of Rob Jones!

I have attached a few photos from the day of travel!

Mike B.

Raring to go!

According to Rob Jones (2a Referee from Liverpool), our first night consisted of a meal wearing our "worst shirts"... i think i was clearly beaten on this!

Had a lovely 3 course meal at the Marriott, all are settled and raring to go in the morning.

Bright and early start - 6:45am breakfast means we are all tucked up in bed now!

Mike B

All aboard!!!

Well that was an eventful start to the day!

I had it in my head that the train departed at 1.45pm, however it actually set off at 1.15pm!

I got to Piccadilly Train Station, Manchester at 1:05pm expecting a 40 minute chill, which turned into a 5 minute dash!!

Anyways ... Jack and I are now on the train, relaxed in 1st class about to watch the Liverpool v Man United game on the wifi!

Catch up soon guys :)

Packed and raring to go

Its Sunday 22nd March 2015 and my bags are packed and I will be making my way to Manchester Piccadilly Station for 1pm where I will meet up with Jack Neild who is a Cheshire FA official who is also attending the Dallas Cup

Jack and I have booked 1st class travel and we will be arriving at London Euston around 4pm, before making our way on the London Underground to Heathrow, as we are staying at the London Heathrow Marriott Hotel with an evening meal booked for 7pm with all the other officials and coaches who are attending the Dallas Cup

I will continue to update this blog on a daily basis outlining my experiences of this fantastic opportunity.

Mike B.