Cup Finals

This has come up in a different context when talking about if/how much to charge for pre-season matches, but I worry about the implications for other officials whenever I'm asked to accept little/no fee for a game. I'm lucky enough that I earn enough from my day job that I could cover a couple of free trips to a match at a weekend or in the evening each season if I wanted to, but does that give me an unfair head start over a different official, who may need to at least charge mileage if offered the same game?

Imagine a hypothetical situation where a manager is looking for an official for a high-profile charity game and sends out a call to action and then gets two responses. One is able to do it for free/donate the fee, the other is perhaps younger or from a less-well-off background and says that he'd need mileage covered at least. It makes sense that the manager would choose the official who is already better off and who then gets the opportunity as a result.

It's little things like this that can entrench existing small privileges into bigger differences in opportunity, and it's an unusual situation where I think the better thing to do for "refereeing society" is to normalise taking a fee wherever possible.

Read most of this thread. Where I am in Australia I have never had the expectation of the option of not getting paid for prestige games. But my two cents worth, if the options given is take it for yourself or give it to a charity, then I'm all for it. But if the options are take it or leave it for "us", then I'd be questioning the motives. Depending on the process and who is who, it can also create a conflict of interest or unfair situation where the referee who hasn't taken the money in the past is given preference.

I've been appointed as AR for a Sunday Shield final and whilst no fee payable, Suffolk FA are giving us a full kit instead. Happy with that although I just think they don't want me wearing ny pink/purple shirt

GraemeS said:

Imagine a hypothetical situation where a manager is looking for an official for a high-profile charity game and sends out a call to action and then gets two responses. One is able to do it for free/donate the fee, the other is perhaps younger or from a less-well-off background and says that he'd need mileage covered at least. It makes sense that the manager would choose the official who is already better off and who then gets the opportunity as a result.

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I agree with your thought process of it could disadvantage someone who may not be in a position financially to pass up their fee, and agree that there should be a standardised approach to match fees etc., because it creates another version of "last week's ref".

In reality, it just doesn't seem feasible, as no doubt there are referees who do it for the love of the game (happy to pass up a fee), and there is referees doing it mainly for the financial gain (or need to do it for financial reasons). There are referee's on this forum who have previously stated they can walk to the ground therefore don't feel the need to charge or they see it as giving back to the game. There are too many variables for a standardised approach to match fees, other than every single referee must be paid regardless of the game (which could be another dagger into grassroot team finances).

Charity games are an interesting one as well because morally (for me at least) I would be happy for any fee to go to the charity of the day, but you get these larger charity events twhere the ground are charging entrance fees and refreshments etc., if the money isn't solely going to the charity then why shouldn't you be paid as the ref for your time (if others are gaining finacially, other than the charity).

Reminds me of a previous job I worked in a school and was arranging a teachers vs students memorial game for a student that passed away, I contacted the CFA for a referee and was hugely put off by the fact the referee wanted a full fee. (I can see it from both sides now, but I still don't think they should've asked for the full fee).

I think this comes down to the CFA or competition. I've officiated several cup finals and I can't ever recall not being paid, including county cup finals. In some cases I've been paid and also received a full kit and medal.

The league I help run pay our cup final officials, we actually pay them slightly more for the finals. We cover a very large geographical area and the normal fee is flat with no expenses, but referees are kept reasonably local. For the final they could easily spend two hours travelling with added expenses, so we pay them a little more.

I am lucky enough to love my daily job as much as I love officiating. But I wouldn’t do it for free. I’m a fourth for this years county cup final, it’s over an hours drive from my home. I have a young baby and a wife who just stopped working. The only way we’ve made it the past couple of months is because of the fees I get.

As I speak the only money to our name is the cash from my fees sitting in my wallet. About 55 quid. I’d expect expenses in full at the least.

I’ve had the privilege/good fortune to be appointed to a handful of cup finals and semis over the years (middle x1, lines x 6) and I’ve never heard of not being paid for it. It must be a county-by-county thing. But personally I wouldn’t do it for free. Can’t see why I would give up an evening with my family for nothing.

Charity games are the only ones I wouldn’t take a match fee for. Each to their own though.

OnlyUseMeWhistle said:

I am lucky enough to love my daily job as much as I love officiating. But I wouldn’t do it for free. I’m a fourth for this years county cup final, it’s over an hours drive from my home. I have a young baby and a wife who just stopped working. The only way we’ve made it the past couple of months is because of the fees I get.

As I speak the only money to our name is the cash from my fees sitting in my wallet. About 55 quid. I’d expect expenses in full at the least.

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Similar circumstances here. If my wife heard I wasn’t being paid she’d go ballistic! My reffing cash puts petrol in the car and anything spare goes towards bills/nursery fees.

Congrats on the appointment (and baby!)

Cup Final or not, the match officials should be paid (IMO).

We can all talk about prestige or "honour" because it's a Cup Final but meh! .... More or less the same principles surround selection for a Semi Final don't they(?) and the match result is no less important.

The final is is no more important than officiating on an end-of-season "top of the table" league clash between two teams 1 point apart with only 2 games left each but if appointed to do that fixture you'd still expect paying.