Always
play to the whistle
Wherever football is played, the chances are that the
referee's whistle is an 'Acme Thunderer'. Invented by
Joseph Hudson, an English toolmaker from Birmingham, in
1884, the Thunderer has been heard in 137 countries; at
World Cups, Cup Finals, in parks, playing fields and beaches
across the globe.
Over 160 million Thunderers have been manufactured by Hudson
& Co., which is still based in Birmingham, England. Apart
from football, Hudson whistles have also been used by
crewmen on the Titanic, by British 'bobbies' (policemen) and
by reggae musicians.
Today the
Fox 40
series of whistles are very popular with many referees
because of their "pea-less" design.
1860/70s:
A toolmaker in England, called Joseph Hudson, converted his
humble washroom at St. Marks Square in Birmingham, which he
rented for 1s. 6d. (one shilling and six pence per week)
into a whistle making workshop.
1878: It was generally written that
the first football match to be officiated with a whistle was
held in 1878 at the English Football Association Cup 2nd
Round game between Nottingham Forest (2) v Sheffield (0).
This was probably the 'Acme City' brass whistle, originally
made by Joseph Hudson around the year 1875. Before
that, signals where communicated by the umpires to the
players by waving a handkerchief, a stick or by shouting.
In 1878, football matches were still
officiated by two umpires who patrolled inside the field of
play. The Referee of those days, took a subservient role on
the touchline, and was only used as a mediator if the two
umpires were unable to reach a decision. It would therefore
have been most unlikely for the Referee of 1878 to require a
whistle for his 'referring' role. The two umpires would have
been the whistle blowers in these games.
1883: Joseph Hudson created the first London Police
whistle to replace the hand rattle. Joseph came by accident
across the distinctive sound required, when he dropped his
violin. As the bridge and strings broke it murmured a dying
note that lead to the perfect sound. Enclosing a pellet
inside the policeman's whistle created the unique warbling
sound, by interfering with the air vibration. The Police
whistle could be heard over a mile away and was adopted as
the official whistle of the London Bobby.
1884: Joseph Hudson, supported by his
son, continued to revolutionize the world of whistles. The
world's first reliable 'pea' whistle 'The Acme Thunderer' is
launched, offering total reliability, control and power to
the Referee.
1891: It was not until 1891 that
umpires were abolished to the touchline as linesmen, and the
Referee is introduced - operating for the first time on the
field of play. It was probably here, when the Referee (as
opposed to the umpires) first used the whistle, by which
time the Referee was now regularly required to stop play for
infringements. The whistle was proving to be a very useful
tool indeed.
1906: The first attempts to produce
moulded whistles from a material known as vulcanite were
unsuccessful.
1914: As Bakelite started to develop
as a moulding material, the first early plastic whistles
were made.
1920: An improved 'Acme Thunderer'
dates from around 1920. It was designed to be smaller,
shriller and with its tapered mouthpiece, and was more
comfortable for referees. Whistle 'Model No. 60.5, a small
whistle with a tapered mouthpiece produces a high pitch -
and could have been the type of whistle used in the first
Wembley Cup Final held on 28 April 1923 between Bolton
Wanderers (2) v West Ham United (0) and was designed for use
in big crowds. And there was a big crowd that day of
126,047. The Model No. 60.5 is still available today.
1930: The 'Pro-Soccer' whistle,
first used in 1930, had a special mouthpiece and a barrel
for even greater power and a higher pitch for use in a noisy
stadium.
1988: The 'Tornado 2000.' first
made by Hudson was used at World Cups, UEFA Champion League
matches and at the F.A. Cup Final and is a powerful whistle.
This higher pitch gives greater penetration and creates a
crescendo of sound that cuts through even the greatest crowd
noise.
1989: The ACME Tornado is
introduced and patented, and offers a range of six pea less
sports whistles with high, medium and low frequencies for
every sport. The Tornado 2000, was probably the ultimate in
power whistles.
2004: There are many whistle
manufacturers, and ACME continues to produce quality
whistles. The Tornado 622 has a square mouthpiece, and is a
bigger whistle. Medium high pitch with deeper discord for
softer sound. Very loud but less harsh. The Tornado 635 is
extremely powerful, in pitch and loudness. Its unique
unconventional design is for those who want something that
really stands out from the crowd. Three different and
distinctive sounds; perfect for "three on three" or any
situation where games are played in close proximity. The
Thunderer 560 is a smaller whistle, with a high
pitch.
The popular Fox 40's range also offers some excellent
whistles. The FOX Classic - is their loudest, shrillest
penetrating power whistle. Its patent pea-less design is
ideal for outdoor safety as it is virtually indestructible,
has no moving parts to jam or freeze and can be heard up to
a mile away. It is the recommended safety whistle of the
Scouts Association and the Duke of Edinburgh's Awards Scheme
and is used by many Referees. The Fox Classic CMG has a
'Cushioned Mouth Grip' that enhances the original Fox
Classic design. This added feature increases comfort and
grip during prolonged use, and is ideal for officials who
carry the whistle in the mouth during matches. The Fox Mini
Compact, has a smaller mouthpiece, and has the same pea-less
design and ultra shrill tone of the Fox Classic (it is ideal
for Lady's and Children's safety). The Fox Pearl is a
patented two chamber pea-less whistle, with a low pitched
tone, and is another
favourite
with multi-sport referees and coaches. The Foxtreme, is a
popular choice with younger users and is the same design as
the Fox Pearl but is available in an attractive
marbleized colour
scheme, each whistle having it's own unique colour
and pattern formation.
The Fox 40
"pea-less" whistle originated from an idea by Ron Foxcroft a
USA basketball Referee who like others, had experienced
problems with pea whistles not reacting quickly enough, and
were unable to be heard above a large crowd noise. He
explains. "They have a cork pea in them and when you blow a
pea - whistle really hard, nothing comes out. When they're
frozen or wet or get some dirt inside, they lose their
efficiency."
Foxcroft
listed a number of improvements that could enhance the
performance of a whistle, and showed them to, Dan Bruneau
the President a plastics moulding company Promold
Corporation, based in Stoney Creek, Ontario. The company
agreed to manufacture the whistle parts designed by Foxcroft.
Promold went on to perfect a plastic moulded injection
process that ultrasonically welded together whistle parts,
rather than glued them. Chuck Shepherd, an Ontario design
consultant took on the project. It took 14 prototypes
to perfect the first Fox 40 pea-less whistle, which was
patented on Ron Foxcroft's 40th birthday.
This
whistle was first professionally used at the Basketball, Pan
Am Games in Indianapolis. It was not long after this,
that other sports realised its quality. Its tones were
heard above the crowd at the Seoul Olympics, and was the
predominant whistle used by Referees in the 1990 World Cup
Soccer held in Italy and the 1994 World Cup held in the
United States. The Fox 40 whistle is now patented in many
Countries, and is popular not only with Referees, but with
coaches, water safety, rescue teams, personal safety, dog
owners and trainers, and many other sports enthusiasts.
It is also an approved and recommended sound signalling
device with Coast Guards Worldwide.
How does
a whistle work?
All whistles have a mouthpiece where the
air is forced into a cavity or hollow confined space. The
air stream is split by a bevel, and partly whirls around the
cavity before exiting though an opening (or sound hole)
which is usually small in proportion to the size of the
cavity. The size of the whistle cavity and the volume of air
contained in the whistle determine the pitch or frequency of
the sound produced.
The whistle construction and the design
of the mouthpiece also have a dramatic effect on sound. A
whistle made out of thick metal will produce a brighter
sound compared to the more resonant mellow sound if thinner
metal is used. Modern whistles are produce using different
types of plastic, which increases the tones and sounds now
available. The design of the mouthpiece can also
dramatically alter the sound. Even a few thousandths of an
inch difference in the airway, angle of the blade, size or
width of the entry hole, can make a drastic difference as
far as volume, tone, chiff (breathiness or solidness of the
sound) are concerned.
In
a pea whistle, the air stream enters through the
mouthpiece as shown (1). It hits the bevel (2), and
splits outwards into the air, and inwards filling
the air chamber (3) until the air pressure inside
the chamber is so great, it pops out of the sound
hole, making room in the chamber for the whole
process to start over again. The pea (4) gets forced
around and around and interrupts the flow of air and
changes the rate of air packing and unpacking inside
the air chamber. This creates the sound of the
whistle warble. |
|
The air inside a whistle chamber packs
and unpacks 263 times every second to make the note
middle-C. The faster the packing and unpacking is, the
higher- pitched the sound the whistle creates. |