Introduction
They work hard, train hard, show up and play hard – all to keep the game beautiful. They give their time and yet face negative attention and abuse in almost every match. Enough is enough. We can all play our part to show the ref some respect, to help make the game the best it can be. So, are you in?
About Respect the Ref
From the warm-up to the final whistle, see the game from your ref’s perspective
Meet Your Referees
Grisha Zeigermaher: Why I swapped kickboxing for refereeing
Lee Markwick: 'Oscar Wilde summed up the art of refereeing perfectly...'
Emma Guest: How a bet ended with refereeing at Wembley Stadium
Dani Mansour: 'It's more than a hobby for me'
Amy Purser: 'It's great to see women referees being given an opportunity'
Daniel Bishop: ‘I absolutely fell in love with it from the first moment’
Jacob Viera: 'I've loved every single game I've refereed to get promoted'
Isabel Chaplin: 'Just give refereeing a go'
Jacob Viera: 'I've loved every single game I've refereed to get promoted'
Isabel Chaplin: 'Just give refereeing a go'
Jay Hall: 'I wish I could go back and start refereeing earlier'
- We offer support to our match officials in their first year.
- Our new referee course features 90 minutes of online learning on Laws of the Game which is free to do, plus 11 hours of face-to-face training.
- To qualify, you must referee 5 games, supported by your County Football Association (CFA).
- Your CFA has funding to help support new referees on a local level. Find out more about local initiatives such as Cheltenham Youth League purple shirt initiative & Worcestershire FA’s #SeeTheSocks.
- Our flagship development programme, FA CORE (Centre of Refereeing Excellence) is for referees who show exceptionally high levels of potential and can progress to the highest levels of the game.
- Through workshops and courses, we can also help you expand your refereeing experience to successfully officiate other formats, such as Pan-Disability football, Futsal and Walking Football.
- We’ve introduced ‘sin bins’ to all levels of grassroots football to encourage respect and fair play. In the 2016/17 season pilot, we saw a 38% reduction in dissent. In fact, participant behaviour improved, with players self-policing to prevent colleagues getting into trouble.
