Latest news with #SFA
Daily Record
13 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Record
Scottish referees could be mic'd up next season to explain VAR decisions to fans
The move comes as SFA refs chiefs Willie Collum looks to improve transparency over decisions There's arguably only one thing worse than when an engine catches fire on your passenger plane. And that's when the man in charge of the cockpit gets into such a blind panic over it that he forgets the fundamentals of how to fly the damn thing. Which is precisely why refs' boss Willie Collum has turned to a couple of professional pilots this week in order to help his own officials prepare for the new campaign - in the hope of avoiding any bumpy landings. The trick, says Collum, is to remain calm, composed and concise in any kind of crisis situation - and especially when communicating with the men at the control tower, or, in this case, those manning the VAR bunker at Clydesdale House. And, after asking Scotland's top whistlers attend a crash course from the experts, Collum believes his men will be ready for just about anything when the new season gets up and running this weekend. He said: "We've had aviation experts in, pilots. They're training pilots as well. They showed us examples of critical situations, life and death situations. "People think football is life and death, it's not quite the same, but it's an intense environment and we wanted to know how people communicate there. "What we really liked about it was that it showed us that sometimes the VARs are speaking and they are not really asking the right open question. "They could be leading the assistant VAR but the pilot is not asking the co-pilot questions that he is just going to agree with. "You actually see some examples where they physically sit back. We showed a clip from a match in Scotland where the VAR sits back and the AVAR gets in about the screen looking at it. "There was lots about communication. Another key thing was that nobody in a cockpit uses the words, 'I think'. It needs to be concrete, it needs to be, 'Here's what it is actually showing, here's what the outcome is'. Rather than saying 'it's something that I'm thinking', we need it to be more factual." And calm. Always calm. Especially when one of the engines is belching out flames and smoke - a scenario which was played out in front of Collum and his officials. He said: "We saw examples of that yesterday. Nobody can deny the pilot's adrenalin is pumping and they are fearing, they're frightened, they're worried. "It's about keeping calm because you have got a process and you know to follow that process. We want the same. When there are critical, difficult decisions for the VAR to make they have a process there." This left-field training programme was originally piloted - sorry - with referees from England's top flight. And Collum not only believes his colleagues down south have reaped the benefits but has also gone to the bother of pinching former Premier League whistler Martin Atkinson to head of Scotland's VAR team. He said: "There were a couple of high-profile decisions, with a lot of debate about the communication after a Spurs game against Liverpool. "England were the first to say, 'We need to have a real serious think about what's being said in the room. "It can't just be a run-of-the-mill conversation, we need the right phrases and processes'. "What we are using through aviation is that you need robust processes. We definitely think that in England you can see evidence of that. "In the short time that Martin has been in position, we are already seeing better evidence of that. "If you had gone into the VAR room before Martin and talked about communication, it'd have been really busy with people talking, saying too much. "Now, if you go in you would think, 'Something is not working right here because I'm not hearing anything!'. "But it is about speaking when you need to speak so that it is relevant. We also know that talking, talking, talking can make people tired. We don't want our VARs and AVARs being tired. "What was really interesting for us is they actually said that some of our clips would be good to train their pilots. They were able to see good examples. "From a technical point of view they didn't know what the right or the wrong decision was but what they did say was, 'Could there have been less talk? A different approach? More open-ended question to AVAR?' "They see a lot of similarities between what is happening in the VAR room and the cockpit. Again it is not life and death, but in football, maybe even in the west of Scotland, it is up there." With that in mind, Collum is also keen to roll out better communication with supporters inside Scotland's stadiums and believes a system to explain VAR decisions in-game will improve the match day experience. All he needs now is the clubs to agree to pay for it. He said: "We are closer. We've had good discussions with the clubs. When the referee goes to the monitor and can make an announcement - you're enhancing transparency. "We're also taking into cognisance about what clubs are saying and the in-stadium experience for fans. We want to support that as well. "We don't think it would cost a fortune. We've already been doing a bit of work in the background looking at costing and whatever for that. We would welcome it. We think that's doable. With goalline technology, it's also doable, you can bring it in - but it would cost a substantial amount. "If clubs gave us the green light for it financially, we would train the referees immediately. It's not as simple as people think, going to the monitor and making an announcement. "You've got to get the wording right, about selling decisions, but we would move fast with that. If we get a green light for that, we would introduce it within a season even. "I don't mean within a season meaning next season - I mean we would be happy to introduce it in the current season."
The National
17 hours ago
- Sport
- The National
SFA draft in pilots to speak to referees in bid to improve VAR use
The country's leading match officials were shown clips of pilots communicating with each other in 'life or death situations' at a gathering at the national performance centre outside Edinburgh on Sunday. Howard Webb, the head of refereeing at PGMOL in England, turned to pilots and air traffic controllers two seasons ago following a number of high-profile VAR controversies in Premier League games and enjoyed positive results from doing so. Collum felt the presentation at Oriam at the weekend was an invaluable exercise and is optimistic that Scottish referees, who have been working with SFA VAR manager and former FA Cup final referee Martin Atkinson since last October, will be more effective during the 2025/26 campaign. Read more: 'We have had aviation experts in, pilots,' he said. 'They showed us good examples of critical situations, of life and death situations. People think football is life and death, but it is not quite the same. But it is an intense environment and we wanted to know how people communicate there. 'Sometimes the VARs are speaking and they are not really asking the right open question. They could be leading the AVAR. But the pilot is not asking the co-pilot questions that he is just going to agree with. You actually see some examples where they physically sit back. There was lots about communication. 'Another key thing was that nobody in a cockpit uses the words 'I think'. It needs to be concrete, it needs to be, 'Here is what it is actually showing, here is what the outcome is'. Rather than saying it is something that I am thinking, we need it to be more factual.' Collum continued, 'In England, there was a couple of high-profile decisions which there was a negative reaction to. There was a lot of debate about the communication after a Spurs game against Liverpool. England were the first to say, 'We need to have a real serious think about what is being said in the room'. 'It can't just be a run-of-the-mill conversation, we need to be able to use the right phrases, we need to have the right processes'. What we are finding through aviation, is that you need robust processes. We definitely think that in England you can see evidence of that. (Image: Paul Devlin - SNS Group) 'In the short time that Martin has been in position, we are already seeing better evidence of that. If you had gone into the VAR room before Martin came in and talked about communication, it would have been really busy with people talking, saying too much. 'Now, if you go in you would think, 'Something is not working right here because I am not hearing anything'. But it is about speaking when you need to speak so that it is relevant. We also know that talking, talking, talking can make people tired. So we don't want our VARs and AVARs being tired.' Collum revealed that the country's Class 1 referees were played footage of pilots communicating with each other after a plane engine had caught fire in mid-air during the get-together at Hampden. 'We saw examples of that yesterday,' he said. 'Nobody can deny that the pilots adrenalin is pumping and they are fearing, they're frightened, they're worried. 'It is about keeping calm because you have got a process and you know to follow that process. We want the same. When there are critical, difficult decisions for the VAR to make they have a process there.' Read more: Collum continued, 'The pilots also analysed a lot of our clips and said from a technical point of view they didn't know what the right or the wrong decision was. But what they did say was, 'Could there have been less talk? Could there have been a different approach? Could there have been a more open-ended question to the AVAR?' 'They see a lot of similarities between what is happening in the VAR room and the cockpit. Again it is not life and death, but in football, maybe even in the west of Scotland, it is up there.' Asked if he had any intention of tapping into any other industries going forward in an attempt to improve the use of VAR and the standard of officiating in Scotland, Collum said, 'Martin has come from a police background. We don't want to go way out there and way wide, but any industry that can help us we would be keen to use it. I think a few guys were put off flying yesterday, but it was a good exercise.' Former FIFA Elite Referee Collum replaced Crawford Allan as the head of refereeing at the SFA last year and has had to contend with criticism from clubs, managers, players and supporters about mistakes which his officials have made in big matches during his first year in his new role. However, he stressed that he and his staff at the governing body are working tirelessly to get major calls right and insisted he had positive relationships with numerous major stakeholders throughout the Scottish game. (Image: Rob Casey - SNS Group) 'I deal with the technical people at clubs, the playing staff,' he said. 'I am building my relationships with the players and I think we need even more contact with them. 'We are working hand in hand with the PFA for the time ever in Scotland. We had a meeting with the PFA Scotland chairman Michael Devlin yesterday. 'We've got nothing to hide. We want to show people what we are about and the coaching we are delivering. I've always said to any club they can pick up the phone any time or come here and watch any clip with us and we'll talk them through it. I don't control what the clubs decide to do. 'But on my part the door is always open. I welcome them coming and engaging with us. I would prefer that than anything that goes public, but at the end of the day I don't control the clubs or what actions they take. But I am confident I have built up good relations with every club and every coach in the country. 'We can learn from each other. I don't want anyone thinking that the only time managers will engage with me is after bad decisions. I have very good relationships where I feel we are learning from what they are saying to us as well, including the players. I know I have played my part with the door being wide open.'
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Scotsman
17 hours ago
- Sport
- Scotsman
From cockpit to VAR room: how aircraft pilots are helping Scottish referees prepare for new season
SFA head of referees Willie Collum enlists help of aviation experts Sign up to our Football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Scottish football is no stranger to a pilot project, but Willie Collum and his team of referees have taken that to new heights after getting advice from the aviation industry. Ahead of the new Premiership season this weekend, the SFA head of referees Collum has sought external help as he tries to sharpen the use of video technology ahead of the new league season. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad There can be no doubt that pilots and the air traffic controllers assisting them face some of the most pressurised situations known to man. And while some football fans may see the fortunes of their team as life and death, those in charge of aircraft often have to take actions that ensure the safety of the public. Collum believes the sessions that his officials had with aviation experts can help them deal with the stresses of a high-profile VAR decision and keeping composure in the heat of the moment. SFA head of referees, Willie Collum, called on the help of aviation experts to train his officials in communicating under pressure ahead of the new Scottish football season. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group) | SNS Group / SFA 'We have had aviation experts in, pilots," explained Collum. "They are training pilots as well. They showed us good examples of critical situations, life and death situations. People think football is life and death, but it is not quite the same. But it is an intense environment and we wanted to know how people communicate there. "What we really liked about it was that it showed us that sometimes the VARs are speaking and they are not really asking the right open question. They could be leading the AVAR. But the pilot is not asking the co-pilot questions that he is just going to agree with. You actually see some examples where they physically sit back. We showed a clip from a match in Scotland where the VAR sits back and the AVAR gets in about the screen looking at it. There was lots about communication. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad "Another key thing was that nobody in a cockpit uses the words 'I think'. It needs to be concrete, it needs to be 'here is what it is actually showing, here is what the outcome is'. Rather than saying it is something that I am thinking, we need it to be more factual.' Communication is key The English FA have also enlisted external help from the aviation industry on the back of contentious moments involving VAR and with Martin Atkinson, a former Premier League referee, now in place at Hampden to help out officials as the nation's VAR manager, Collum believes all the right pieces of the jigsaw are in place. 'In England, there were a couple of high-profile decisions," continued Collum. "There was a lot of debate about the communication after a Spurs game against Liverpool. England was the first to say, 'we need to have a real serious think about what is being said in the room'. It can't just be a run-of-the-mill conversation, we need to be able to use the right phrases, we need to have the right processes'. "What we are using through aviation - and from learning from other countries and what we have learned from our own experiences – is that you need robust processes. We definitely think that in England you can see evidence of that. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad "In the short time that Martin has been in position, we are already seeing better evidence of that. If you had gone into the VAR room before Martin came in and talked about communication, it would have been really busy with people talking, saying too much. Now, if you go in you would think, 'Something is not working right here because I am not hearing anything. But it is about speaking when you need to speak so that it is relevant. We also know that talking, talking, talking can make people tired. So we don't want our VARs and AVARs being tired.' Scottish FA VAR manager Martin Atkinson. (Photo by Ross MacDonald / SNS Group) | SNS Group Similarities in football and flying In terms of some of the key learnings, Collum elaborated: "Nobody can deny that the pilots adrenaline is pumping and they are fearing, they're frightened, they're worried. It is about keeping calm because you have got a process and you know to follow that process. We want the same. When there are critical, difficult decisions for the VAR to make they have a process there.' It wasn't just a one-way street as pilots and referees gathered in the same room. Some of what Collum and his team are doing was of use to the people more accustomed to using flight instruments than drawing offside lines. 'What was really interesting for us is they actually said that some of our clips would be good to train their pilots," explained Collum. "They were able to see good examples. They were also analysing a lot of clips where they said from a technical point of view they didn't know what the right or the wrong decision was. But what they did say was, 'Could there have been less talk? Could there have been a different approach? Could there have been a more open-ended question to the AVAR?' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad "They see a lot of similarities between what is happening in the VAR room and the cockpit. Again it is not life and death, but in football, maybe even in the west of Scotland, it is up there.' Collum won't stop at the aviation industry either. Any help his referees can get externally will be tapped into. 'Martin has come from a police background," he added. "We don't want to go way out there and way wide, but any industry that can help us, we would be keen to use it. I think a few guys were put off flying, but it was a good exercise.'
The Herald Scotland
17 hours ago
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
SFA draft in pilots to speak to referees in bid to improve VAR use
Howard Webb, the head of refereeing at PGMOL in England, turned to pilots and air traffic controllers two seasons ago following a number of high-profile VAR controversies in Premier League games and enjoyed positive results from doing so. Collum felt the presentation at Oriam at the weekend was an invaluable exercise and is optimistic that Scottish referees, who have been working with SFA VAR manager and former FA Cup final referee Martin Atkinson since last October, will be more effective during the 2025/26 campaign. Read more: 'We have had aviation experts in, pilots,' he said. 'They showed us good examples of critical situations, of life and death situations. People think football is life and death, but it is not quite the same. But it is an intense environment and we wanted to know how people communicate there. 'Sometimes the VARs are speaking and they are not really asking the right open question. They could be leading the AVAR. But the pilot is not asking the co-pilot questions that he is just going to agree with. You actually see some examples where they physically sit back. There was lots about communication. 'Another key thing was that nobody in a cockpit uses the words 'I think'. It needs to be concrete, it needs to be, 'Here is what it is actually showing, here is what the outcome is'. Rather than saying it is something that I am thinking, we need it to be more factual.' Collum continued, 'In England, there was a couple of high-profile decisions which there was a negative reaction to. There was a lot of debate about the communication after a Spurs game against Liverpool. England were the first to say, 'We need to have a real serious think about what is being said in the room'. 'It can't just be a run-of-the-mill conversation, we need to be able to use the right phrases, we need to have the right processes'. What we are finding through aviation, is that you need robust processes. We definitely think that in England you can see evidence of that. (Image: Paul Devlin - SNS Group) 'In the short time that Martin has been in position, we are already seeing better evidence of that. If you had gone into the VAR room before Martin came in and talked about communication, it would have been really busy with people talking, saying too much. 'Now, if you go in you would think, 'Something is not working right here because I am not hearing anything'. But it is about speaking when you need to speak so that it is relevant. We also know that talking, talking, talking can make people tired. So we don't want our VARs and AVARs being tired.' Collum revealed that the country's Class 1 referees were played footage of pilots communicating with each other after a plane engine had caught fire in mid-air during the get-together at Hampden. 'We saw examples of that yesterday,' he said. 'Nobody can deny that the pilots adrenalin is pumping and they are fearing, they're frightened, they're worried. 'It is about keeping calm because you have got a process and you know to follow that process. We want the same. When there are critical, difficult decisions for the VAR to make they have a process there.' Read more: Collum continued, 'The pilots also analysed a lot of our clips and said from a technical point of view they didn't know what the right or the wrong decision was. But what they did say was, 'Could there have been less talk? Could there have been a different approach? Could there have been a more open-ended question to the AVAR?' 'They see a lot of similarities between what is happening in the VAR room and the cockpit. Again it is not life and death, but in football, maybe even in the west of Scotland, it is up there.' Asked if he had any intention of tapping into any other industries going forward in an attempt to improve the use of VAR and the standard of officiating in Scotland, Collum said, 'Martin has come from a police background. We don't want to go way out there and way wide, but any industry that can help us we would be keen to use it. I think a few guys were put off flying yesterday, but it was a good exercise.' Former FIFA Elite Referee Collum replaced Crawford Allan as the head of refereeing at the SFA last year and has had to contend with criticism from clubs, managers, players and supporters about mistakes which his officials have made in big matches during his first year in his new role. However, he stressed that he and his staff at the governing body are working tirelessly to get major calls right and insisted he had positive relationships with numerous major stakeholders throughout the Scottish game. (Image: Rob Casey - SNS Group) 'I deal with the technical people at clubs, the playing staff,' he said. 'I am building my relationships with the players and I think we need even more contact with them. 'We are working hand in hand with the PFA for the time ever in Scotland. We had a meeting with the PFA Scotland chairman Michael Devlin yesterday. 'We've got nothing to hide. We want to show people what we are about and the coaching we are delivering. I've always said to any club they can pick up the phone any time or come here and watch any clip with us and we'll talk them through it. I don't control what the clubs decide to do. 'But on my part the door is always open. I welcome them coming and engaging with us. I would prefer that than anything that goes public, but at the end of the day I don't control the clubs or what actions they take. But I am confident I have built up good relations with every club and every coach in the country. 'We can learn from each other. I don't want anyone thinking that the only time managers will engage with me is after bad decisions. I have very good relationships where I feel we are learning from what they are saying to us as well, including the players. I know I have played my part with the door being wide open.'
Scotsman
a day ago
- Sport
- Scotsman
Willie Collum reveals stance on Scottish football goalline technology and in-game VAR announcements
SFA head of referees says onus on clubs to put infrastructure in place Sign up to our Football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Scottish football officials would be ready to explain their decisions live to supporters "within months" of clubs giving in-match comms the green light, according to the game's head of referees Willie Collum. Amid reports last week that Premier League matches in England for the 2025/26 season are set to feature referees explain major VAR decisions on a mic to the crowd, Collum revealed that officials north of the border could be trained swiftly so that they could do the same and did not rule out such an innovation being brought in midway through a season. However, he stressed that Premiership teams would need to get infrastructure in place first before he could move forward with his team of officials. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Collum said he would also welcome the implementation of goalline technology within the Scottish top flight after controversial decisions last season involving Celtic, Rangers and Hibs, but reiterated that it would cost "a substantial amount of money". Scottish FA head of refereeing Willie Collum. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group) | SNS Group / SFA Speaking ahead of the league season starting this weekend, Collum said: "We've certainly been speaking to the clubs about other aspects of technology, goalline technology being one of them. We've also been speaking to the clubs about in-stadium comms. It's financial. The decisions are financial. We need the clubs to make those decisions. "What I would say is that I would have open arms to any of these. We would certainly embrace them. But I also want to say something else and I'm not paying this lip service, I want to be really honest: we won't use a lack of something as an excuse for anything. We'll do the best we can with the resources we have got. But we won't say we think the ball is out, we've told the referees that we want factual evidence, conclusive evidence to prove a decision. Would we embrace goalline technology, would we embrace stadium comms? Absolutely. But I'll be honest and say I don't think that's a decision directly for me." Enhacing in-game experience Asked directly if we are getting closer to either goalline technology or in-stadium comms, Collum continued: "I think we are closer. I think we've had good discussions with the clubs. Let's take the in-stadium comms, when the referee goes to the monitor and can make an announcement - you're enhancing transparency even more. You know I'm about that - even more people are seeing it. We're also taking into cognisance about what clubs are saying and the in-stadium experience for fans. We want to support that as well. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad "We don't think [it would cost a fortune]. We've already been doing a bit of work in the background looking at costing and whatever for that. We would welcome it. We think that's doable. With goalline technology, it's doable, you can bring it in - but it would cost a substantial amount of money." Referee Nick Walsh checks the VAR monitor during a match between Rangers and Hibs at Ibrox last season. | SNS Group Introducing in-game comms would likely involve a smaller investment, although it would be dependent on each club. "It's hard for me to say," Collum said on finances. "That's the reality because you'd need to look at stadium infrastructure. Say you go to Aberdeen or Motherwell, they might have two completely different tannoy systems, and it would be about how much fibre you need to put in, for example. So it would be crazy for me to put a ballpark figure on it." Nevertheless, Collum believes referees could be ready to broadcast their decisions to the public not long after the clubs give the OK. "So if clubs gave us the green light for it financially, we would train the referees immediately," said Collum. "In England, they trained the referees and it's not as simple as people think, going to the monitor and making an announcement. You've got to get the wording right, about selling decisions, but we would move fast with that. If we get a green light for that, we would introduce it within a season even. I don't mean within a season meaning next season, I mean we would be happy to introduce it in a current season. Asked if he could have it in place within months, Collum replied: "One hundred per cent." Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Referee John Beaton arrives ahead of a William Hill Premiership match between Hearts and Rangers at Tynecastle last season. (Photo by Mark Scates / SNS Group) | SNS Group 'Humanising' referees Collum believes referees being more open to supporters will help "humanise" them. Since taking up his role at the SFA a year ago, the 46-year-old former official has held a monthly VAR show and is hellbent on making sure fans see a different side to officials. "People just see us running about a pitch on a Saturday and they don't know us as individuals," said Collum. "But we're people like all of us - they love football. We love refereeing. But I think these things have helped humanise refereeing a bit better. We do a lot on trying to promote. We've got really good videos about promoting women's refereeing. The video we have just now is showing female referees in their outfits that they are wearing for their job, in terms of us being nurses, police officers. We want to humanise referees, we want to encourage people into the game. So we think these are good strides.
