Last month saw Tomasz Motyka referee his last TML match. He will be staying in Japan but due to new work commitments he cannot find time to referee at the weekends. Tom has kindly written a summery of his time involved in the Tokyo Metropolis League. Thank you Tom. 

"It`s been almost four years since I arrived in Japan. Almost the whole of this time I spent with Footy Japan. For the first year I played for BFC Tokyo and held a referee position. From the second season until last month I was only a referee.

As a former 4th Division player in Poland, it has definitely been a great experience for me. I could learn a lot, meet many people, face many tasks and enjoy various activities. League matches, Cup final, friendly games, futsal sessions, 7-a- side tournaments - all of these events were great fun and a nice opportunity to compete against various styles and experience different players. From the teams formed by middle-aged men which want to relax and enjoy football after a stressful week at work to players with professional background, success- oriented teams from literally all over the world.

As a referee I was able to see how the football match looks from the other side. Despite the fact especially at the beginning my performance as a newbie was not the best (I suppose), I have always felt the support from the Great Organizer James. He was always keen on discuss and help. Thank you for that!

Despite the fact TML is an amateur sports league, the awareness that I am responsible for running the game in fair play atmosphere and following the game laws was a big thing. I have always tried to do my best and despite some minor accidents I can say that players were usually, after cooling down their hot heads, able to estimate my effort. In my 4 year long adventure as a referee I have learned to be calm at all times, be confident in decisions in a professional manner and not to get too stressed on the pitch. 

Actually, I must admit that traveling to some remote venues like Horisaki Park or Soga Fukuda Denshi and talking to the staff and/or Japanese players was also a challenge for someone without Japanese language skills. These were a really valuable lessons for a newcomer!

I must confess I was surprised at the beginning, realizing how the TML is able to unite all sorts of people by letting them compete on the pitch. Nowadays the slogan & quote 'Football unites' is used by many, but in my opinion the TML is the place where I could really feel that it is true."