Scott Edeling has been an assistant referee in the A-League since 2009. Aged 19 at the time, he became the youngest official in the league – an achievement that is still to be surpassed.
“It was a surreal experience. The first season was an absolute blinder. It was one of my better seasons,” he says.
“You had quite a few world-class players, during the time of marquees. It was a real standout. Especially being young, you have to prove a point because there’s a lot of politics behind the scenes.”
“Being young and naive tended to get me in a bit of trouble. There were a few times when I had to say to myself ‘pull your head in’ because this could be your first season, it could also be your last.”
Edeling’s development owes a lot to the help of senior referees around him – a sense of community he believes has been a casualty of the A-League’s growth.
“That role was done by a lot of the senior guys. Back [when I started], there was a lot more of a family aspect,” Edeling says. “Once you’re in the league, they nurtured you through thick and thin. If you made the wrong call, they’d pat you on the back and say ‘chin up’. You could speak to them more readily.”
“It wasn’t as competitive as it is today. People don’t realise how competitive it is [for referees]. I think it’s a generational change. Back then, the league was new. Referees were coming from the NSL to the A-League, so there was that sense of family. Now, with increased budget, people are flying in and out so it’s every man for himself.”
“You’ll see a guy getting a derby that you wanted. Then you think how come they’re getting it and I’m not? You have to tweak that mindset. It’s just like a player fighting for his spot. You have to show your commitment at training.”
At the age of 13, Edeling was watching football on a Saturday afternoon when he saw a sign that read ‘Referees wanted’, and took it to his father. Edeling’s parents, migrants from South Africa, could not afford to provide him with the dream of playing representative football, but they supported his decision to be a referee. By 14, he was officiating young competition matches.
Observers might think officiating A-League matches is a trickier proposition than at amateur level. Edeling begs to differ:
“The players know what to expect. They tend to be less argumentative compared to the youth leagues and even state tiers. Then you’ve got local tiers – depending what area you’re in, it can vary quite a bit. It was refreshing actually to get into the A-League because you can speak in a decent manner and get that respect.”
“That’s their bread and butter. Little Johnny on the sideline doesn’t want to see his role model going crazy and losing that respect.
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Due to the professional nature of refereeing, increased travel and long seasons, it’s understandable for officials to drop their focus and performance levels. According to Edeling, discipline and fitness are therefore key elements to maintaining excellent standards.
“It’s been a bit of a challenge. In my case, I’m working from 5 in the morning until 7 or 8 at night. It’s just those one-percenters.”
“There’s 27 rounds in the season. You’re missing quite a few birthdays and family gatherings just to keep yourself out of trouble. Those Friday nights when you don’t have a game – it’s literally a quick sip and away you go. There’s not too much partying.”
Edeling, who is also a personal trainer, believes performance levels, fitness and concentration should increase with every season. He understands that if his standards drop, newcomers are ready to take his position.
However, mistakes are inevitable in every walk of life.
“I never want to get it wrong. Usually you have a sleepless night. The best way to do it is just talk about it. I find that counselling aspect from a coach or another official does help. It’s better to work it out yourself. Watch the replay, see where you went wrong – was it your positioning, were you facing the wrong way? All it is is centimetres, even millimetres at times.”
“There are times when I’ll go back and apologise to the team. I’ve been on the field for 9-10 seasons now, so you do get along well with the coaches. Even just to pull them aside, they respect that. [They’ll often say] ‘no worries, chin up, see you in a few weeks.'”
The introduction of video assistant referee (VAR) system has added a new perspective and – like the NRL’s Bunker or DRS in cricket – there are varying opinions about it.
Edeling is adamant that VAR helps the referee to make correct decisions. While he admits at certain periods this season the system has stopped the momentum of the game, he also points out that the governing body is working towards making it more efficient.
Regardless, Edeling emphasises that referees shouldn’t rely solely on VAR to make decisions.
“It’s a luxury at the national level. We still need to forget about it when we go down a division. The close calls that we make at training, we can’t just say ‘oh this one I’ll refer to VAR’. We have to stay switched on because there’s so many tournaments and qualifiers where there’s no VAR.”
Having already achieved his dream of being a football referee, Edeling’s ambition now is to travel the world as a FIFA official. He would also like to officiate – in any capacity – in the A-League grand final.
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