It is a common practice for the first referee to hesitate for just a second to give the second referee the opportunity to make the call, and then whistle it if needed. When the first referee makes this call, there is strong likelihood of establishing or improving the participants’ confidence in the officiating crew. Sometimes, the second referee is screened from this fault by the arms and bodies of the blockers. The simplest example is a net fault, especially when the fault is on a blocker close to the first referee. There are three easy examples that come to mind where the first referee could whistle a fault that is a primary responsibility for the second referee. But what about the situations where the first referee should make a call that “belongs” to the second referee? Are there any occasions where the second referee should make a call that “belongs” to the first referee? What are the consequences of making these calls? Most first referees are quite willing to consider assistance offered by the other members of the team since, by rule, they have final authority over all decisions.
For the second referee, this problem can be overcome by the use of discreet signals, used to give input to the first referee. However, the reality is that there are times that one of the referees witnesses infractions outside his or her primary area of responsibility. In the best of cases, this division of duties ensures that, between them, the referees are able to judge the legality of each contact of every rally throughout a match. The duties of the first and second referees are delineated in the rulebook.