The Social Ref: How to Become a Better Referee and Umpire

By: Shawn D. Madden

Narrated by: Shawn D. Madden

Want to become a referee or umpire?

It's not your calls, it's your Communication!

Most referee and umpire training materials stink. They spend so much time focused on rules and signals, they miss the simple communication ideas that will help you survive those scary first few games, and become a better sports league official.

What do you do when a decision is 100 percent correct, and everyone hates it? How do you handle conflict and confusion? What brain instincts and habits make it harder to become a great referee?

Shawn D. Madden, founder of Underdog Sports Leagues, takes 20 years of experience training recreational refs, and teaches communication for any sport or program with Five Key Communication Habits.

Loving sports is never enough. You need a communication system to get you through the tough calls, and the hard games, that sink so many new refs.

Do you train and teach other refs and umps? Are you constantly short refs for your program? Do new umps quit on you after their first tough game?

The Social Ref Program is ideal for new referees and umpires in College Intramural Leagues, Charity Tournaments, Parks and Rec, Youth Leagues, and Adult Sport and Social Clubs like Underdog.

Get the ref tips and ump advice your league needs for new and veteran officials.

Whether it's flag football, softball, little league baseball, basketball, or even kickball and dodgeball, this guide will help you become a better referee, umpire and communicator for your league and teams, and just maybe in your life!

Bonus Content: The Social Ref audiobook includes two hours of bonus content including "Ref Huddle" commentary not included in the printed version, an interactive CAP exam to test your diffusion skills, and an interview with Jay and his thoughts on an 8,000 game career as a recreational referee and umpire.

©2019 Shawn D. Madden (P)2019 Shawn D. Madden

Great Resource for New or Experienced Refs/Umps!

I listen to this book on my way to/from work, and it's fantastic. Highly recommend this book for new or experienced referees/umpires. You won't be disappointed! If you want to become a better official, you need this book.

Audiobook even better than the paperback!

I had read The Social Ref early this year, but the audiobook is even better. Shawn does a great job narrating & illustrating his points about what makes a great social ref/ump/official. Highly reccommend!

A Revelation for a 20-Year Veteran Ref

This is an amazing book. I've been a ref for 20 years and, although I've experienced all the scenarios in the book many, many times, I've never identified the uniqueness of each situation and had a system for how to address each particular one. I see my job so much differently than I did before reading the book. Taking into account the player perspective and responding in the most appropriate manner will elevate my referee staff's performance and lead to considerably greater respect from players and a better overall game for everybody.

Game Changer

Great book! It was a recommendation from my co worker Kate. Amazing job at putting major player - referee scenarios and tips about how to handle them and how to become a better referee.

Wow - finally a book that nails what’s really important as a referee

If you’ve never refereed before or have thousands of hours under your belt, this book is a must for ANY referee!

For new officials this book will shift your perspective on what’s most important through some of the powerful concepts laid out and will set you on the right path to get a jump start on what it normally would tale years to learn on our own the hard way.

If you have years of experience under your belt already, there’s plenty of great material in here for us as well. Soooo wish I would have had this starting out in this field 10 years ago!

Good tools for new officials

Good stories and lots of material that would take a beginning official to the next level. I disagree with some of the comments on movement; but otherwise it gives lots of good meat.

Great listen regardless of which sport you officiate!

While this book talks mostly about Flag Football the lessons Shawn shares are more than applicable to most sports. We need more positivity like this or we will continue to lose officials nation wide.

Also - Shawn narrates this book and is very easy to listen to!