Soccer Lovers’ Best Ever Soccer Book Guide
This series reviews and rate books that teach, describe and document the beautiful game. Look for a wide variety of books and helpful insight from players, coaches and referees who have been there and done it on the pitch. Here is a book that looks at refereeing from the perspective of preventive medicine.
FOUR STAR RATING
Preventive Officiating
Written by Randy Vogt
Edited by Cathleen Cotten
Published March 2010 by CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
“After all, Noah’s Ark was built by amateurs and the Titanic was built by professionals. You, as a new referee or relatively new ref with several years of experience, have not made anywhere near the number of mistakes that I’ve made,” writes Randy Vogt in the beginning of the book.
Being a referee is often a harsh job with little thanks and a ton of complaints. Being a good referee is a tough job and Randy Vogt’s book is dedicated to helping every referee become a better referee. It is a must read for all those who wish to be or are referees … and it would help the beautiful game if parents of soccer players read it too!
While players and coaches have their challenges, perhaps the toughest role on the pitch is that of referee. Arbiter of the Laws of the Game, judge of behavior and keeper of time, the referee must have nerves of steel and the wisdom of Solomon. Of course, not every referee can claim these traits, but after reading Randy Vogt’s book Preventive Officiating even the greenest line judge can be better prepared to handle the myriad problems that may occur on the pitch.
Preventive Officiating looks at refereeing from the perspective of preventive medicine – the idea of stopping problems before they happen. With over 8,000 games of officiating experience – from youth soccer to professional matches – and many awards, Vogt has seen nearly every possible issue on field and off. His book shares the wisdom he has gained from refereeing on every possible field from the neighborhood pitch to some of the world’s greatest soccer stadiums.
“I started refereeing when I was 16 years old, and Fair or Foul? by Larry and Paul Harris greatly guided me as a ref, especially during my first decade officiating,” Vogt told SoccerNation News. “I started wondering which book youth soccer refs turn to today as Fair or Foul? was last updated in 1995. So I read some of the few books on the market and all had some nice points, but none were the quintessential guide for referees as Fair or Foul? was.”
Understanding that today’s referees needed a book that spoke to the new generation of soccer play, with all of the changes in the Laws of the Game as well as in the world of soccer since 1995, Vogt sat down to pen Preventive Officiating. The road to publication would not be smooth.
“Having officiated thousands of soccer games, I realized that I was in a unique place to help, so I started writing Preventive Officiating,” Vogt explained. “After completing the manuscript three years later, I could not find a publisher willing to take a chance on a debut author writing about a niche subject. I realized that if it was going to be, it was up to me.”
Publishing the book on his own was a huge leap of faith, but Vogt knew that what he had to share in his book was important to the world of soccer. That belief has been borne out by the reviews Preventive Officiating has received, including plaudits by true soccer insiders.
Paul Gardner, a columnist for Soccer American and World Soccer, has called it a “lovely book” and said that “it gives refereeing a warm human feel.” Natalie Josef, a youth referee, has said, “Preventive Officiating helped provide me with those little details that make such a big difference on the field.”
Another long-time youth referee, Joe Rummel, suggests that “Preventive Officiating should be mandatory reading for every referee and coach. It’s even better than reading the Laws of the Game as it has the Laws plus their application, and the book is so simple to read, so easy to understand.”
Vogt is understandably proud of what his little (100 page) book has accomplished, not only for referees and soccer but for any author considering the self-publishing route.
“I spent thousands of dollars to self-publish Preventive Officiating, and am happy to say that it’s one of the few self-published books to make money,” said Vogt, who is also a regular columnist for SoccerNation News. “It has been solidly in the Top 20% of sales on Amazon since it was published over three years ago.”
If you want a new and useful guide to refereeing, be sure to check out Randy Vogt’s Preventive Officiating, available on Amazon.
