The Ref Stop

French referee looking to officiate in England

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FrenchRef

FrenchRef

New Member
Level 4 Referee
Hi everyone!

My name is Théo, I'm a 21year-old referee from France, currently officiating at the Regional 2 at Center Ref (step6 for you) and linesman in Régional 1 (Step5) and National 3 (Step4) level under the French Football Federation (FFF). I'm passionate about refereeing and I'm seriously considering coming to England (for 2 to 3 months) to experience the English football system, officiate as much as possible, and see how refereeing works here.

I'm currently exploring areas like Nottinghamshire, but I'm open to other regions depending on opportunities.

I'd love to chat with a local referee someone who could give me advice on how it works in your area, how many matches I could expect to do per week, and what steps I need to follow to get involved.

If you're open to having a quick conversation, even by message, that would mean a lot to me 🙏

Thanks in advance, and I hope to join you on the pitch very soon!

Discord : kyzerh.
Email removed, you’ll thank us for it.
Perhaps private message instead?

Cheers,
Théo 🇫🇷
 
Last edited:
The Ref Stop
Hi Theo (sorry for missing the accent on the e, I don't know how to include it)

Each county / area in England will have a different referee development officer. I would suggest making contact with them and seeing what you would be able to officiate on in that county.

You should be able to find contact details for the referee development officer on that county FA's website. That's probably your best place to start.
 
You should also speak to your current federation/county FA equivalent to check if you need anything from their side such as international clearance.
 
JamesL said:
You should also speak to your current federation/county FA equivalent to check if you need anything from their side such as international clearance.
Click to expand...
These are usually required by the 'destination' side but issued by the 'origin' side.

Where I am we need clearance even if we move to a neighbouring association. Mainly covering three things.
- no suspensions
- no financial debts
- the level of games they referee
 
one said:
These are usually required by the 'destination' side but issued by the 'origin' side.

Where I am we need clearance even if we move to a neighbouring association. Mainly covering three things.
- no suspensions
- no financial debts
- the level of games they referee
Click to expand...
When you say financial debts, do you mean related to fines from the association? Or in general? :bag:
 
RefereeX said:
When you say financial debts, do you mean related to fines from the association? Or in general? :bag:
Click to expand...
General. Depending on how the system works. We pay for some courses, or pay a small % of our earnings to the RA (who do the appointments). They use it for their running costs.
 
one said:
General. Depending on how the system works. We pay for some courses, or pay a small % of our earnings to the RA (who do the appointments). They use it for their running costs.
Click to expand...
But you mean football related debts, not the overdraft I haven't paid off with the bank? 😆
 
  • Haha
Reactions: one
RefereeX said:
But you mean football related debts, not the overdraft I haven't paid off with the bank? 😆
Click to expand...
This being a refereeing forum may have been a clue. 😆

Most local RAs here operate independently of the local FAs. So not even football related debts. Just refereeing related debts.
 
RefereeX said:
Hi Theo (sorry for missing the accent on the e, I don't know how to include it)

Each county / area in England will have a different referee development officer. I would suggest making contact with them and seeing what you would be able to officiate on in that county.

You should be able to find contact details for the referee development officer on that county FA's website. That's probably your best place to start.
Click to expand...
Hi ArbitreX,

Thanks a lot for your reply and your advice!

I will definitely check the website of the County FA in the area I’m targeting (currently looking at Nottinghamshire). I’ll try to find the Referee Development Officer and get in touch directly to see what opportunities are available and how I can get involved while I’m there.

Really appreciate your help it’s already helping me to structure my plan more clearly.
 
JamesL said:
You should also speak to your current federation/county FA equivalent to check if you need anything from their side such as international clearance.
Click to expand...
Hi James,

Thanks for your message and the useful reminder!

I’ve already planned to contact my current French federation (FFF) and my district to ask for the international clearance. I’ll make sure everything is done properly on their side so there’s no issue when I arrive.

Really appreciate the guidance it means a lot to me as I prepare this adventure!
 
Something no one else has mentioned is DO NOT come in June, there won't be any football for you to get involved in and would waste a month of your experience.

Other than that hope you enjoy it as much as the rest of us do 😁
 
RefereeX said:
My administrators will be offering you 5p for that debt shortly.
Click to expand...
Make it a shiny 10p and we have a deal. Lost my captains’ coin at the weekend 😭

@FrenchRef Wishing you well, and keep us updated when the move goes through. Quite a few of us on here from around there. (Not personally, went to uni there for one semester and ran away back south). 😂
 
Archer said:
Make it a shiny 10p and we have a deal. Lost my captains’ coin at the weekend 😭

@FrenchRef Wishing you well, and keep us updated when the move goes through. Quite a few of us on here from around there. (Not personally, went to uni there for one semester and ran away back south). 😂
Click to expand...
Thanks a lot mate! 😄
Really appreciate the support I’ll definitely keep you all posted once things get moving!

I’ve heard good things about the area (and also some warnings like yours 😂), but I’m curious to experience it for myself. Hopefully I won’t run away too fast haha!
 
Also, if anyone happens to have any tips or advice about finding accommodation in Nottinghamshire (or Derbyshire), that would be super helpful!

I’ll be coming over just for a couple of months, so something simple and not too expensive would be ideal. A room in a shared house or anything short-term would do the job perfectly.

Any help or suggestions would be massively appreciated 🙏

Thanks again!
 
Samuel said:
Something no one else has mentioned is DO NOT come in June, there won't be any football for you to get involved in and would waste a month of your experience.

Other than that hope you enjoy it as much as the rest of us do 😁
Click to expand...
Competitive football in England finishes in May and will restart during the last week in July.
You may be able to rent some accommodation in a University for the period to mid-September.
Good luck, @FrenchRef 👍
 
ChasObserverRefDeveloper said:
Competitive football in England finishes in May and will restart during the last week in July.
You may be able to rent some accommodation in a University for the period to mid-September.
Good luck, @FrenchRef 👍
Click to expand...
Thanks a lot, that’s super helpful!

I hadn’t thought about university accommodation great idea, I’ll definitely look into that.

Appreciate the support and advice 🙌
 
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