The Ref Stop

Referee Levels About To Change(?)

Something is definitely happening, but at the moment it is still embargoed by the FA. Expect major changes to the promotion scheme for next season though.
 
The Ref Stop
RustyRef said:
Something is definitely happening, but at the moment it is still embargoed by the FA. Expect major changes to the promotion scheme for next season though.
Click to expand...
Yes. I heard about 2 marking seasons running concurrently. August to April and then Jan-Jan for mid season promotion.
 
JamesL said:
Step 6 is L4s all around I think.
It was a pass away comment on another non refereeing forum.
Level 4s don't necessarily have to work with NARs if the FA deem that to be the case.
Click to expand...
Not where I am in the South East. Step 6 is done by Senior level 5s, who have to pass a fitness test.

Even after mid-season promotions, there is still a shortage of level 4s, so a significant number of Step 5 games are also done by level 5s - half the games this Saturday on one of the Step 5 leagues
 
Quarryref said:
Not where I am in the South East. Step 6 is done by Senior level 5s, who have to pass a fitness test.

Even after mid-season promotions, there is still a shortage of level 4s, so a significant number of Step 5 games are also done by level 5s - half the games this Saturday on one of the Step 5 leagues
Click to expand...
Fair enough.
When I first became a level 4 I only refereed step 7.
Step 5 was done by level 3.
Then I found out that some step 5 leagues were done by level 4s which I found crazy.
Is what it is I suppose. Could we see step6 with CARs then if the shortage continues, who knows.
 
  • Like
Reactions: es1
JamesL said:
Fair enough.
When I first became a level 4 I only refereed step 7.
Step 5 was done by level 3.
Then I found out that some step 5 leagues were done by level 4s which I found crazy.
Is what it is I suppose. Could we see step6 with CARs then if the shortage continues, who knows.
Click to expand...

i think (i hope) we're still some way from that. occaisionally round here the step 7 league (that is still reffed by 4s) has games with no NAR but i'd say this happens less than 5 times a season. it's never happened at step 6
 
es1 said:
i think (i hope) we're still some way from that. occaisionally round here the step 7 league (that is still reffed by 4s) has games with no NAR but i'd say this happens less than 5 times a season. it's never happened at step 6
Click to expand...
And the step 7 league here in Cornwall when I moved 3 years ago was already using CARs as default. And step 6 gets NARs.

I find the discrepancy within each step a bit strange if I am honest. Shouldn't All step 6 mirror each other for example?
 
JamesL said:
Fair enough.
When I first became a level 4 I only refereed step 7.
Step 5 was done by level 3.
Then I found out that some step 5 leagues were done by level 4s which I found crazy.
Is what it is I suppose. Could we see step6 with CARs then if the shortage continues, who knows.
Click to expand...
I referee Step 7 around these here parts as a L5.

Step 6 is definitely always L4s and above (normally with NARs).
 
JamesL said:
And the step 7 league here in Cornwall when I moved 3 years ago was already using CARs as default. And step 6 gets NARs.

I find the discrepancy within each step a bit strange if I am honest. Shouldn't All step 6 mirror each other for example?
Click to expand...

absolutely, i know we're all part of our own pool but how can we be compared across the country if we're not all doing the same things?!
 
As a 5, I've reffed 14 Step 6 games and 4 Step 7 games this season. Also a Cup game involving a Step 5 side
Bizarrely, I largely bypassed Step 7 when changing Leagues at the start of the season
Interestingly, none of the SG1 refs originate from the area in which I ref... (Spartan South Midland in the main)

If i was RefSec, I wouldn't have put me on two games with 400 and 500 spectators respectively this season. Too risky given my limited experience. Anyway, I was nae gonna turn the appointments down and the games went well. Just sayin... 'bit dodgy'... thought Level 4's would've been wiser
 
Last edited:
Kes said:
Step 6 is definitely always L4s and above (normally with NARs).
Click to expand...
Depends where you are in the country. In London we only allow our 5 to 4 candidates to be observed on step 6 games, and we can do that as most of the supply leagues in our area (SCEFL, Combined Counties and Spartan South Midlands) only have their step 5 divisions as "marking divisions", meaning the step 6 divisions are referee by L5s. The Eastern Regional League, which runs from London to Suffolk, does have their step 6 divisions as marking divisions, so only L4s can do their step 6 games.
 
RustyRef said:
Depends where you are in the country. In London we only allow our 5 to 4 candidates to be observed on step 6 games, and we can do that as most of the supply leagues in our area (SCEFL, Combined Counties and Spartan South Midlands) only have their step 5 divisions as "marking divisions", meaning the step 6 divisions are referee by L5s. The Eastern Regional League, which runs from London to Suffolk, does have their step 6 divisions as marking divisions, so only L4s can do their step 6 games.
Click to expand...
Yeah I know. I was simply stating what happens here in Somerset. ;)

In the Army FA we also have our 5-4 candidates being observed on our equivalent "Supply League" standard games ie Corps football but unless I'm reading your post above wrong, it seems odd that L5s would be doing Step 6 (Supply League) football as a matter of course. Like you say, it depends on where you are and what is available I guess? :)
 
Kes said:
Yeah I know. I was simply stating what happens here in Somerset. ;)

In the Army FA we also have our 5-4 candidates being observed on our equivalent "Supply League" standard games ie Corps football but unless I'm reading your post above wrong, it seems odd that L5s would be doing Step 6 (Supply League) football as a matter of course. Like you say, it depends on where you are and what is available I guess? :)
Click to expand...
Yeah, in the South East almost all step 6 divisions are refereed solely by L5s. The step 6 divisions of the SCEFL, Combined Counties and Spartan Soth Midlands are not classed as supply leagues.
 
Until recently - last season or maybe the one before (I’ve lost track due to Covid disruption) - the United Counties League was similar. It is now almost exclusively refereed by L4s
 
Tealeaf said:
Until recently - last season or maybe the one before (I’ve lost track due to Covid disruption) - the United Counties League was similar. It is now almost exclusively refereed by L4s
Click to expand...
Made all the more odd as the Leicester Senior League used to be a Step 7 supply league with level 4 refs.

Theres been numerous Step 5 games on the UCL without level 4 refs this season, and the coverage in Division 1 has often been appalling.


Needs to be more crossover with the West Mids Pool.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top