According to britishcouncil.org, the Premier League alone contributes £7.6 billion to UK GDP. Accounting for this and the emotional and cultural impact of the beautiful game on our country, is it not staggering that we don’t hear more from those who allow the nation’s favourite sport to be played?
In the Middle approaches a varied set of referees as if it were the BBC covering the players before the FA Cup Final, humanising the officials when they are merely targets for abuse. Director Greg Cruttwell does well to depict the ill-treatment of referees, even at a semi-professional level, highlighting the lack of pay and lack of respect they receive.
Furthermore, he shows how the job of the referee is incredibly difficult, having to keep an eye out for any potential break of the 17 rules, during the intensity of a football match. This is a unique skill that requires incredible concentration, yet it is expected for an official to be consistently perfect.
“But someone’s gotta do it”. It is this light-hearted angle that draws you to the personalities on screen. Ron’s persistence over 60 years in the profession, Elle’s adversity to sexist discrimination, and Steve’s removal of dogshit make you understand their love for the game. Seeing them overcome these barriers, all to allow others to play the sport they love, finally makes the referee the good guy.
Watching the film does make you wonder how referees at the top of the game are able to handle such abuse, primarily off the field, whilst still doing their jobs as best they can. As previously mentioned, the pinnacle of English football is absurdly wealthy, small mistakes can cost people millions. Recently, PGMOL, the governing body for referees in the Premier League, released referee Lee Mason by ‘mutual consent’ after he failed to adhere to protocol when checking for offside in Brentford’s equaliser against Arsenal, which ended in a 1-1 stalemate. Mason received online abuse from thousands after this mistake. Without questioning how severe the mistake was, or PGMOL’s right to let him leave, there was an abhorrent wave of attack against a man 15 years into his job at the top level. People don’t account for human error in referees, they need to be perfect.
Visually, the referees are at the centre for the first time. With the (literal) focus on them, it felt odd seeing the game pass by in the background. Nathan Webber stands out for his editing work. A lot of my personal interest came from cutting between one person to the next, how the older referees view the game compared to the younger generation for example. Often the automated dialogue replacement (ADR) of one official will overlap with another, conveying Cruttwell’s story in a more succinct and intriguing way.
Unfortunately, the documentary can falter when trying to engage over the course of its short run-time. If you are not blessed with a love for the sport, or even a slight interest in the people the film follows, it can begin to feel like a slideshow of some, albeit, genuinely nice individuals recounting their past officiating the lower leagues.
A short but interesting watch tailored to fans of the beautiful game. In the Middle is released on 31 March in UK cinemas and on 1 May on digital platforms. A split of the film’s revenue will go to The Referees’ Assocation Benevolent Fund.
Interesting take, great read on what many would overlook in the sport
Interesting insight on a job so critical to football. Keep up the good work!