Supporting the next generation of referees - International Youth Day

In celebration of International Youth Day, we spoke to Referee Development Officer Conor Brown, who told us how Manchester FA is trying a different approach to recruit young referees and ensure they are prepared for the journey.

"We had noticed a trend in referees booking onto courses and then realising it wasn't for them, and that was something we felt needed to change,” Conor said.

"We then had the idea of offering a pre-course element to help everyone understand the commitment that is required to pick up the whistle. This pre-course session is done in two parts - the new referees in one room and their parents and carers in another. And it's that parent and carers session that we are really focusing on. We try to bring home to them the commitment that they will have to undertake to support their child on the pathway. So many parents in football just see the referee turn up to a game, officiate the game, get paid, and go home, but there is so much more to the role. Administration responsibilities include filing the discipline, filling in your availability with all the different leagues, and we have to be honest with the parents and say that they are likely to need to be available to help with that administration in the early days. Then, of course, there is the expectation that they will be driving their child to all of the matches.

"We also have an open and honest conversation about potential confrontation that referees could face. Conflict resolution is a key skill acquired through refereeing. We make it clear that the child and parents will have the skills to be able to have the conversation about it, and that we will support them here at the County FA.

“As part of the pre-course, we will bring in a young referee from the area to talk about their experiences to both the parents and candidates, and this is very beneficial. It’s much more relevant to people on the course to have someone who is on the ground doing games, rather than just the staff. That referee is a vital resource for everyone as they can ask any questions about the pathway to someone who has recent first-hand experience.”

The Manchester FA pre-course is currently charged at £10, which is then removed from the main course fee should the candidate decide to pursue refereeing.

“We make it very clear that if you feel refereeing isn’t for you after the workshop, then that is absolutely fine. At least at that point, you have only used up two hours of your time and spent the £10 course fee, as opposed to paying the full course fee and then deciding it’s not for you a few weeks later,” Conor said.

“We are here to recruit referees and we have found that engaging with parents from the outset is much more valuable than engaging with just the candidate.”

Since the pre-course element was introduced to the referee pathway, Manchester FA has seen an increase in retention rates, as well as an increase in young people getting into refereeing. Last year, 75% of Manchester FA referee recruits were under 18. Conor says the parents’ feedback has been a driving force in that high rate.

"We have had great feedback from parents who have told us it has been really beneficial for them to have had had all this information from the outset, rather than their child just completing the referee course and starting their journey straight away. What's really pleasing is that we have had parents with multiple children coming back to the workshops to sign them up.

“We have also seen parents’ attitude change to referees across Manchester grassroots football in general. At our pre-course we will get the parents together to do a group task and show how that relates to refereeing. For example, we will ask them if they heard a conversation on the other side of the room, to which the answer is invariably 'no', and we will explain that it is the same on the football pitch. As a referee, you are so focused on the game that you cannot always catch everything that's happening on the pitch.

"We also run a Laws of the Game quiz to clarify myths about certain offences and whether they are actually red or yellow card worthy. All of which has helped change perception on the sidelines."

Whilst the pre-course has helped contribute towards an increase in referee retention in Manchester, Conor is keen to ensure they keep up this trend.

“We are always looking to adapt the sessions. Our first step was to bring in that young referee, but we are now looking at bringing in parents of those young referees to support the pre-course so they can share their experiences.”

As of July 2026, there are over 41,000 referees active in England, an increase of 10,000 in just three years.
Conor believes other County FAs adopting the Manchester FA pre-course element can ensure that number can grow even further over the coming years, particularly amongst recruitment of young match officials.

“We have had tremendous success with the pre-course and I have no doubt that this has revolutionised the appeal of refereeing to young people in Manchester. I believe it can have a huge impact across the whole country, perhaps even changing the perception of refereeing as a whole along the way.”