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Choosing FA County, need advice! Referee from abroad starting at level 5

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davidmt

New Member
Hi everyone,

I'm relocating to the UK to pursue my refereeing career and, with a bit of luck, continue my role as a referee instructor/evaluator. I would greatly appreciate your advice on which FA County to choose, having already narrowed down my options to three:
  • Sheffield & Hallamshire FA
  • North Riding FA
  • West Riding FA
For a bit of context, I'm 29 and will most likely start as a Level 5 referee (I have previously refereed in Spain and Canada). I'm coming to the UK with the primary motivation of enjoying refereeing and trying to promote it as much as possible. Therefore, I would appreciate recommendations on the FA county based on the high level of football, development possibilities, promotion options, areas where there is bigger "crowds", etc. Everything taking into account that I will start as a level 5 and that I also plan to officiate futsal.

I'm coming with my girlfriend, and she prefers not to live in a big city. However, we still want an area with job opportunities, options to socialize, proximity to nature, and, of course, somewhere I can enjoy refereeing. York, Sheffield, and the surrounding areas of Leeds are the likely options we have, for now.

Any advice will be greatly appreciated, as well as any other tips you might have! I will be new in the UK and have limited knowledge of how grassroots or semi-professional football works. Thanks a lot in advance!
 
The Referee Store
Which county specifically depends on where you live. We have a massive range of semi-pro and grassroots football. Level 5's referee on Step 7 of the National League System (Tier 11 overall) and Senior County football. Not entirely sure what else goes on at that level but that is my basic knowledge.
 
Good part of the world, I live in leeds having moved from York!

Which CFA isn't a particularly big issue. Find somewhere to live and then join the relevant one.
 
I see you didn’t get much luck with this post on Reddit…

Honestly it doesn’t matter really in terms of the County FA, they all perform the same function. In terms of places to live, York is an amazing city, although I can see it probably being a slightly more expensive place to live.
 
SammyT5 said:
I see you didn’t get much luck with this post on Reddit…

Honestly it doesn’t matter really in terms of the County FA, they all perform the same function. In terms of places to live, York is an amazing city, although I can see it probably being a slightly more expensive place to live.
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This is true. If you have the choice/money, York all day!
 
You can't choose your CFA it depends on where you live, but doesn't matter much because you can referee anywhere in England.
Sheffield & Hallamshire is easiest to describe, they will be your CFA if you live within 20 miles of Sheffield Cathedral.
West Riding will be your CFA if you live in Leeds or Bradford or the surrounding towns. It reaches quite far to the north-west from there including Harrogate, Ripon, Skipton and Settle.
North Riding will be your CFA if you live in York or areas to the north and north-east from there including Northallerton, Scarborough, Middlesbrough.
 
The challenge you have is what is perhaps the best CFA today might not be next year or in 2, 3, or 5 years time. RDOs change, priorities change, budgets change, and so on. Just go with where you want to live, that is more important than what CFA you end up with. And a lot of that will depend on what your budget is, as property, whether buying or renting, will be much more affordable in South Yorkshire than it will be in the likes of York and Leeds.
 
es1 said:
Good part of the world, I live in leeds having moved from York!

Which CFA isn't a particularly big issue. Find somewhere to live and then join the relevant one.
Click to expand...
Since I'm in the process to decide where to live between those 3 areas, I was hoping to get some tips to decide myself with one or the other :D I guess Leeds/Sheffield can be cheaper and have more job options...
 
Gabe said:
Which county specifically depends on where you live. We have a massive range of semi-pro and grassroots football. Level 5's referee on Step 7 of the National League System (Tier 11 overall) and Senior County football. Not entirely sure what else goes on at that level but that is my basic knowledge.
Click to expand...
Thanks! Since I have the option to decide where I will live, I was hoping to get some tips or recommendations for one FA County in particular, but it looks like they will all be more or less the same...
 
CaptainsPlease said:
You can't choose your CFA it depends on where you live, but doesn't matter much because you can referee anywhere in England.
Sheffield & Hallamshire is easiest to describe, they will be your CFA if you live within 20 miles of Sheffield Cathedral.
West Riding will be your CFA if you live in Leeds or Bradford or the surrounding towns. It reaches quite far to the north-west from there including Harrogate, Ripon, Skipton and Settle.
North Riding will be your CFA if you live in York or areas to the north and north-east from there including Northallerton, Scarborough, Middlesbrough.
Click to expand...
Thanks a lot! I'm deciding where I will live, and I was just wondering if there would be some pros or cons to consider when choosing one FACounty over the other, to help me make the final decision :)
 
RustyRef said:
The challenge you have is what is perhaps the best CFA today might not be next year or in 2, 3, or 5 years time. RDOs change, priorities change, budgets change, and so on. Just go with where you want to live, that is more important than what CFA you end up with. And a lot of that will depend on what your budget is, as property, whether buying or renting, will be much more affordable in South Yorkshire than it will be in the likes of York and Leeds.
Click to expand...
Makes sense, thank you!
 
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