Not really. If someone's in it to make a living or just earn some extras, where's the harm in that? Doesn't mean they're not good referees.
I personally don't do it for the money, but wouldn't do it for free (although it feels like it @ £23/match)!
Coloured Kits
- Thread starter Darius
- Start date
I personally don't do it for the money, but wouldn't do it for free (although it feels like it @ £23/match)!
thats a pity
As I was getting at earlier, there are always exceptions. If you're turning up anyway because your son is playing, yeah, why not volunteer to be in the middle and let the team decide if they want to offer you money or not? And I've done a handful of charity matches and cup finals and obviously I'm not going to kick up a fuss if I'm not paid for those.
But I'm talking about a new referee who's turning up at a park with 22 people he doesn't know on a regular basis. This year so far I've spent somewhere around half of my match fees on travel and equipment. I'm planning to buy a new shirt and a few other bits if/when my promotion is confirmed, so that will go up to about 60% of my fees. And I'm a referee who started this season with most of the stuff I needed, in an area that (from previous discussions on this forum) pays fairly well. Some new referees would be put off by that.
North Riding CFA have already indicated that since "they are a forward thinking CFA" they will sanction colour shirts. Lets hope East Riding and West Riding show sense and work with North Riding to have the same colour (non-black) top, or there could be chaos around York. The York league is sanctioned by North Riding, so our sanctioned colour would have to be North Riding's decided colour. We have East and West Riding refs in our league, so they would the NRCFA colour to officiate. @Darius @es1
And lets not get started on the NAR's for our Premier Division, and the possibilities that could cause (new referees, older experienced referee, three different counties, Forces CFA officials).
A great idea, but the FA should have specified either Yellow or Blue as the mandatory other colour and not allow CFA's any input.
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Charlie Jones
Work Until You Don't Have To Introduce Yourself
Already been discussed down this neck of the words I believe
I also have a very good clue at the colour
I also have a very good clue at the colour
Lets see your vote then!Already been discussed down this neck of the words I believe
I also have a very good clue at the colour
I don't do it for the money, but I wouldn't do it for free.
I referee my son's U12 home games, I did the course earlier this year because it's something I've always wanted to do and my son's team didn't have a regular referee. I charged them £10 a game instead of the usual £14 + travel and didn't feel guilty at all due to me paying for the course and all the kit. The manager was happy as the raffle always raised at least enough to pay me and they also didn't have the hassle of trying to find a referee every week. I also ended up doing some away games where the home team were struggling to find a ref and my services could be offered knowing I'd be there anyway with my lad.
Really?
So "we" are all better off now that Mark Clattenburg has taken his money grubbing ways to Saudi?
Amazing
I referee and am paid a notional amount for my labour. It covers my costs for training, buying/replacing equipment, travel, memberships and registrations. It also puts a bit of money in my pocket for the time spent refereeing. (Sometimes I'm told even that might be too much!)
Refereeing is a skill and not everybody has the temperament to do it. So exactly how will the game benefit by getting rid of all the referees who expect to be paid for their time on a Saturday or Sunday?
Speaking to a number of Leagues and CFA officials there is an ongoing national shortage of referees. It gets discussed a lot in committee. There is a big churn with young referees leaving the game when they go away to college plus older referees retiring and there is not a huge reservoir of people wanting to give refereeing a go. For those who do take the plunge they have to pay maybe £200 to get themselves set-up before they even know if they will enjoy being in the centre, making mistakes in front of an audience and often being treated with the utmost disrespect.
The Banbury Lord Jersey (Saturday League) used to struggle with referees. They increased the match fee by £10 and now all their top league matches are covered.
LOTG aside the typical job of the referee is to ensure 22 men play nice so they all can go to work on Monday morning without a broken leg. On many games I struggle to get 2 Club Assistants to help me with ball in/out of play leave alone offside. Many players don't know the LOTG, so how is that going to work when cards need to be issued by a Club Referee during "difficult" matches?
Real world problems are not solved by utopian solutions. It is utterly irrelevant whether a Referee is running around in the January rain to escape his wife and kids or for £25 cash. Football needs more FA qualified referees to raise the quantity and quality of refereeing.
More referees and better referees might possibly lead to increased participation in football at all levels. What is clear is that fewer referees would contribute to a decline. So how would that be a good thing?
We live in a democracy and everybody can voice an opinion. I just disagree with this one.
Rant over...
Our local youth league has just proposed increasing match fees, to effectively compete with surrounding leagues. Other leagues have a lot higher match coverage than this one, and the main difference is the fee - so clearly referees are going where the money is. The new proposals have stepped fees, with U18 games paying the highest amount reducing down to U11's.
I'm fortunate in that I haven't needed to do it for the money, and have often put myself down for the "****tier" games that others haven't wanted to do (because if not all games are covered, why would you not cherry pick the "easier" fixtures?) but a lot of people who do referee, particularly at the younger age of the scale, do so because the ability to earn somewhere between £50 and £100 over a weekend (often for minimum outlay) is, for them, a godsend.
I'm fortunate in that I haven't needed to do it for the money, and have often put myself down for the "****tier" games that others haven't wanted to do (because if not all games are covered, why would you not cherry pick the "easier" fixtures?) but a lot of people who do referee, particularly at the younger age of the scale, do so because the ability to earn somewhere between £50 and £100 over a weekend (often for minimum outlay) is, for them, a godsend.
santa sangria
RefChat Addict
Just to throw in... I love refereeing and running the line. I am really passionate about it. But I couldn't be without the money.
I do 2-5 games a week but I couldn't do it if Miss Deli wasn't so understanding. Part of that is knowing that reffing pays for the car. The other part is knowing how much enjoy it and how healthy it is, of course.
I hope I take the same attitude into every game - whether it's got an 18 or 80 euro price tag. And I volunteer for tournaments that pay next to nothing. And of course I put plenty back in - do I really have 8 shirts and am about to buy another? Oh yes.
I agree that money can't be the reason to start this. But it is a factor.
Sliding scales work really well here (at my level from 14,89 for 7 year old's games to 84,82 for doing the regional 4th tier middle). Friendlies and tournaments are usually a bit less. Crucial factor is a brilliant online system with address GPS and petrol allowance all automated. Tax at source, monthly payments. Works amazingly.
I do 2-5 games a week but I couldn't do it if Miss Deli wasn't so understanding. Part of that is knowing that reffing pays for the car. The other part is knowing how much enjoy it and how healthy it is, of course.
I hope I take the same attitude into every game - whether it's got an 18 or 80 euro price tag. And I volunteer for tournaments that pay next to nothing. And of course I put plenty back in - do I really have 8 shirts and am about to buy another? Oh yes.
I agree that money can't be the reason to start this. But it is a factor.
Sliding scales work really well here (at my level from 14,89 for 7 year old's games to 84,82 for doing the regional 4th tier middle). Friendlies and tournaments are usually a bit less. Crucial factor is a brilliant online system with address GPS and petrol allowance all automated. Tax at source, monthly payments. Works amazingly.
I ref because I enjoy it but would I do it if I didn't get paid? 2 finals done for nothing, and I am doing a grassroots festival for food and drink during the day to help out my appointments officer as he struggles to find refs when there are no fees to be paid, but I did turn down one tournament which was food and drink only. We all earn good to Ok money by doing this the odd helping out on a FA competition with no money is not going to bankrupt us. I have heard in my area they struggle for refs to do finals as there is no fee for them. Its a bit of a shame as it is about the only game the clubs don't have to stump up the cash.
Looking forward to the colour Suffolk refs have voted for, the leading colours seem to be green and purple. I was gutted when pink was not an option.
Looking forward to the colour Suffolk refs have voted for, the leading colours seem to be green and purple. I was gutted when pink was not an option.
The same this way as well. The real shame is for those referees who choose not to do it, because in all likelihood for many on local leagues it will be the only opportunity they get to go out as a team of three or four, and have NAR's run their line for them. The sense of occasion makes it a special day as well, as finals are typically played on a higher tier pitch, and the appointment is usually recognition of the work a referee has put in during the season. A bit short-sighted from those referees declining due to no fee it you ask me.
I agree, to an extent. There has to be a passion and desire to referee in the first instance, and anyone that doesn't have that and just chases the money should pack it in right now.
There can be occasions though where the money is valuable. The best example is students - I sure as hell wish I'd been a referee whilst I was at uni, as even if just doing three or four games a week would have made a massive difference to my living and student loan.
What amuses and infuriates me in equal measures is those referees who seek promotion whilst at the same time seeing refereeing as a cash cow. Once you get to L4 fees drop massively rather than increase, and even before that you'll get less for a supply league line as you would for a local league middle. These referees moan relentlessly about how unfair it is that they are losing out financially, yet the answer is easy - leave the promotion scheme and stay at level 7, 6 or 5.
I don't referee for the money but my wife let's me do it because of it!
I therefore don't care what I get fee wise, however it is slightly mad that I get less for doing a Supply League game than I would for doing a reserve team game at these grounds.
However that's the deal and I knew that when I went for promotion
I therefore don't care what I get fee wise, however it is slightly mad that I get less for doing a Supply League game than I would for doing a reserve team game at these grounds.
However that's the deal and I knew that when I went for promotion
urgh they could have at least chosen purple, brings out my eyes.
on a more serious note though, do you have a link to an official communication? i'd like to include it in the RA newsletter!
ta!
Announcement from NRCFA - see section on working as a team (section 2)
North Riding County Football Association Limited
REFEREE COLOURED SHIRTS
Following consultation with The Football Association and in line with other County FAs the North Riding County Football Association has given permission for referees to wear non-black shirts in competitions which the North Riding County Football Association organises and/or sanctions from season 2017-18 with the following guidelines to all match officials: -
1. Black remains the preferred colour.
2. When officiating in competitions with neutral assistant referees the default colour that match officials MUST use is GREEN. ALL officials must be in the same colour (GREEN) otherwise they MUST revert back to wearing black attire.
3. When officiating alone referees may use any coloured shirt providing it does not clash with either team or goalkeepers.
4. In all matches when officiating alone, and where there is a clash of colours between the match Referee and the teams or goalkeepers, then the Referee MUST change and revert back to BLACK and NOT the teams
The North Riding County Football Association’s advice to ALL match officials is to ALWAYS take your black attire to matches if it is your intention to wear a coloured shirt.
NOTE: It remains that teams under the jurisdiction of the North Riding County Football Association cannot wear black shirts
North Riding County Football Association Limited
REFEREE COLOURED SHIRTS
Following consultation with The Football Association and in line with other County FAs the North Riding County Football Association has given permission for referees to wear non-black shirts in competitions which the North Riding County Football Association organises and/or sanctions from season 2017-18 with the following guidelines to all match officials: -
1. Black remains the preferred colour.
2. When officiating in competitions with neutral assistant referees the default colour that match officials MUST use is GREEN. ALL officials must be in the same colour (GREEN) otherwise they MUST revert back to wearing black attire.
3. When officiating alone referees may use any coloured shirt providing it does not clash with either team or goalkeepers.
4. In all matches when officiating alone, and where there is a clash of colours between the match Referee and the teams or goalkeepers, then the Referee MUST change and revert back to BLACK and NOT the teams
The North Riding County Football Association’s advice to ALL match officials is to ALWAYS take your black attire to matches if it is your intention to wear a coloured shirt.
NOTE: It remains that teams under the jurisdiction of the North Riding County Football Association cannot wear black shirts
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