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New Ref...help please with advice?

J

Jimmy Squirrel

New Member
Hi. my son has sat the referee's course in Lincolnshire.This was 4/5 weeks ago now. He is 14 years old but so far not had a job yet.He needs to do 5 games first off so he can qualify as a ref but so far not heard anything. How does he get a game? All he learnt on the course is rapidly leaving him and his enthusiasm too is also waining.
How do young ref's make the breakthrough please? Any advice?
 
The Referee Store
It's the off-season so not much football happening at the moment. Your son will need to be registered with a local youth league's referee secretary to be appointed to matches. If you don't have their contact details, Lincolnshire County FA's Referee Development Officer (RDO) should be able to help. Your son will be able to referee matches in age groups below his own.
 
It is just bad timing. 11-a-side football is prohibited during June so no games available. Has he registered with a youth league? It is a common misconception that when you qualify you will start getting assigned games, but in reality in most counties there is no central appointing system, so you need to contact leagues to register with them. Details of suitable leagues should really be given out at the end of the course, and the county RDO should also be able to help.
 
Jimmy Squirrel said:
Hi. my son has sat the referee's course in Lincolnshire.This was 4/5 weeks ago now. He is 14 years old but so far not had a job yet.He needs to do 5 games first off so he can qualify as a ref but so far not heard anything. How does he get a game? All he learnt on the course is rapidly leaving him and his enthusiasm too is also waining.
How do young ref's make the breakthrough please? Any advice?
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As I see you are based in Grimsby, your local Youth football league is the Crofts Estate Agents league. The Referees Secretary is

Referees Secretary
Steve Wright
07762 945431
stevewright@croftsyfl.co.uk

This would probably be the best, first place to start.

ChasObserverRefDeveloper said:
Your son would benefit from refereeing at local tournaments and pre-season friendlies before the season starts in September.
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As your son hasn't done his 5 matches yet, a tournament may be a challenge for him. PSF would be a sensible place to start, as they are qualifying games (if offside is played). It must be remember that your son is only 14, so he can only do games up to to his age group.
 
lincs22 said:
As I see you are based in Grimsby, your local Youth football league is the Crofts Estate Agents league. The Referees Secretary is

Referees Secretary
Steve Wright
07762 945431
stevewright@croftsyfl.co.uk

This would probably be the best, first place to start.


As your son hasn't done his 5 matches yet, a tournament may be a challenge for him. PSF would be a sensible place to start, as they are qualifying games (if offside is played). It must be remember that your son is only 14, so he can only do games up to to his age group.
Click to expand...
Thought it was age -1 i.e. 14 years old can only referee u13 and younger?

"Referees under the age of 16 are only eligible to officiate in competitions where the
players’ age band is at least one year younger than the age of the Referee. e.g. a 15 year old
referee may only referee in competitions where the age banding is 14 or younger. This also
applies to those mentioned in regulation 1(a) regarding unregistered and or unqualified
Referees."
 
JamesL said:
Thought it was age -1 i.e. 14 years old can only referee u13 and younger?

"Referees under the age of 16 are only eligible to officiate in competitions where the
players’ age band is at least one year younger than the age of the Referee. e.g. a 15 year old
referee may only referee in competitions where the age banding is 14 or younger. This also
applies to those mentioned in regulation 1(a) regarding unregistered and or unqualified
Referees."
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I thought so too - shouldn't they have a mentor too that should be guiding them through the 5 matches?
 
lincs22 said:
As I see you are based in Grimsby, your local Youth football league is the Crofts Estate Agents league. The Referees Secretary is

Referees Secretary
Steve Wright
07762 945431
stevewright@croftsyfl.co.uk

This would probably be the best, first place to start.


As your son hasn't done his 5 matches yet, a tournament may be a challenge for him. PSF would be a sensible place to start, as they are qualifying games (if offside is played). It must be remember that your son is only 14, so he can only do games up to to his age group.
Click to expand...
We use new referees in club tournaments, as a chance to use a whistle, with mentors available from the referees also taking part.
Too late now, as most are over.
 
ref144 said:
I thought so too - shouldn't they have a mentor too that should be guiding them through the 5 matches?
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This. All day long. ^ ^ ^

A young lad just starting out and with several weeks "skill fade" before he even steps onto the field should be mentored. Even if it's just to allay any fears pre-match (which he's bound to have)
 
I never got a mentor in any of my first games (nor on any game ever), and at least 3 people off my course never got
it either.

Just don’t think there’s enough to go around.
 
george.g said:
I never got a mentor in any of my first games (nor on any game ever), and at least 3 people off my course never got
it either.

Just don’t think there’s enough to go around.
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That’s true in most areas, where the mentors are usually active match officials, observers, etc.
If each person on this group offered just one Saturday or Sunday twice in a season, that would make a big difference.
 
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