There are three main advantages for clubs to develop their own referees:

1. If a referee isn’t appointed to your game you have someone within your club with knowledge and experience who can officiate.
2. If a referee is appointed to your game you have an assistant who is qualified as a referee.
3. You have someone available to assist in educating your club members and players with regard to the Laws of the Game, thus enhancing their enjoyment of football.

How to become a referee?

All County Football Associations regularly organise referee training courses. The course, which lasts for 12 hours usually over a six-week period, is complete once the potential referee has successfully undertaken an exam. The new referee should then register with their local County Football Association. What happens next?

On passing your exam, you become a Level 7 referee. Under 16s are registered as a Level 8 referee and can only officiate in youth football.
Many County Football Associations organise a mentoring scheme to support their newly-qualified referees.
You can referee as often as you wish.
For those who take to refereeing and enjoy the unique and important role referees play in football, there is a career pathway which could one day lead to games in semi-professional and professional football.

Promotion through the levels will be based on a referee’s performance, assessments, attendance at In-Service training events, successful completion from time to time of exams on the Laws of the Game and from Level 4 onwards successful completion of a promotion interview.

Refereeing onwards and upwards

Level 8 - Youth Referee
Level 7 - Junior County Referee
Level 6 - County Referee
Level 5 - Senior County Referee
Level 4 - Supply League Referee
Level 3 - Contributory League Referee
Level 2 - Panel League Referee
Level 1 - National & International List of Referees