Sunday’s All Ireland Football Final will have 30 players, 82,300 spectators in Croke Park and over one million watching on television. They will all have an opinion on one man who will get the whole day started and bring it to a glorious end for one county.
David Coldrick will be the referee on Sunday, taking charge of his third All Ireland final. This week he sat down with Rob Hartnett of Sport for Business to look at how he began preparing for this day when he was still a player and at how he combines a life in the spotlight with his role in Irish Life.
It is unusual for a referee from one of the competing provinces to take charge but such is the respect in which Coldrick is held that there was barely a raised eyebrow when it was announced and both managers have expressed absolute confidence.
That’s not a bad tribute when you consider that Dublin and Meath have let’s say an intense rivalry and a Leinster man refereeing Dublin could have been seen as just another tilt in favour of the Capital.
The game that every referee wants
Coldrick just smiles. It’s his third time getting the call. He refereed Kerry and Cork in 2007 and Cork and Down in 2010. “This is the game that every referee wants.” “At the start of every year you set this as a target and you referee every game along the way with a view to making yourself a better ref and therefore more likely to get the biggest games.”
“There is intense competition among the elite panel of referees and that helps to bring all of us along to higher standards.”
“The biggest challenge is that of physical fitness.”
“The players are faster and stronger now than they have ever been and that means the game is moving at a quicker pace.”
“We understand the game and know where we need to be positioned to give the best decisions. Then it’s a case of being fit enough to get there.”
“Knowing the rules and the way that the players play the game is something that comes naturally, with a lot of homework and study.”
Heat of the moment
“The key though in terms of applying them correctly in the heat of the moment will be getting yourself in the best position to get a clear view of the action and relying on your own team on the sidelines to do the same.”
Coldrick was a player himself lining out for Blackhall Gaels in Meath as the club moved from Junior to Intermediate level. “I was a half decent half back but I knew I would never be a great player so when an opportunity to start refereeing was presented to me I was interested.”
“I looked up to referees like Tommy Sugrue from Kerry who handled three All Ireland’s himself and was a model to me in developing my own approach to games.”
“As I progressed through Meath club games I knew that the playing side would have to end and while that was a tough decision I knew that it was in the middle that I could have the biggest future in a sport I love.”
Coldrick is a fan of all sports and will be watching the Rugby World Cup with interest.
“It’s always interesting to learn from referees in other sports and we communicate regularly.”
Respect
“The respect that Rugby refs get from the players has always been high but I do believe that Gaelic Football is getting closer. Players these days are more technically aware and that always helps when it comes to rules.”
On the biggest occasions there is no such thing as a balanced view from fans. The referee is always much better when you’ve won and probably had some part to play in why your team lost.
That’s generally wrong and just an easy way to justify defeat but it makes the job all the tougher.
Coldrick is adamant about the most important element of his game management.
“The way in which we communicate with players and our own team is central to being a good referee, just as it is to being a good manager in business.”
“We make a call and have to be able to justify that to those on whom it has an impact. Most players know themselves when they have crossed the line but of course that can be easier to see in hindsight than in the cauldron of an All Ireland.”
10 minute spells
“On Sunday as in every game I will look at three ten minute spells as being the ones in which everything is at its most intense.”
“The first ten at the start of each half and then the last ten when the legs are tiring and the pressure is at its greatest.”
“I am always focused especially on being at my sharpest during those bursts.” We are on al the time, in a way that even players are not but those are the times when the critical decisions will be taken and that’s what I prepare for.”
We talked about cards and touched on the disciplinary process but for Coldrick it’s all about the decision on the day.
“I will apply the rules as I see an incident or if one of my linesmen has explained an incident to me that he had a better view of.”
“It’s simple really and that’s the job that we have to do.”
Heightened view
“Fans and commentators have a heightened view on why a card should be black, yellow or red but that’s clear as well.”
“When the rules changed last time, and the advantage was introduced, the roll out of communication through clubs, managers and referees was very well handled.”
“We know what the rules are, we know what the penalties are.”
Coldrick is taking a couple of days off from his role as an audit manager in Irish Life to prepare quietly for Sunday.
It’s a senior role he has working on Abbey Street and with a team go 18 reporting to him directly or indirectly.
“There are times when the pressure comes on around deadlines and again it’s communication that is the key to making the right decisions.”
“You make a call based on the information you have to hand and then you work towards getting the job done effectively and with the minimum of fuss.”
“Just like will be the case on Sunday I have a team of people who I rely on and who rely on me.”
“Once we prepare for the worst that can happen, and try to ensure it never gets to that point then we are doing the best we can.”
“That applies just as much in business when I get back to work next week as it does in the middle of Croke Park on Sunday.”
Coldrick is a model of grace under pressure. He knows the poor calls he has made in the past and has always held his hand up and learned to be better next time. Thankfully those poor ones are very few and far between. That’s why he was selected to take charge on Sunday.
The sport is a winner because of the dedication he puts in.
Join 3,000 leaders in Sport and Business who receive our free Daily News Digest on the commercial World of Irish Sport, and discover what membership of Sport for Business can deliver for your organisation.
[contact-form-7 id=”18260″ title=”News Digest from Article”]
