Seen several people do this, both on this forum and other social media sites, so thought I'd share why this past season was a good one for me. To start off, I completed my course across 3 dates (2 in August, 1 "review session" in October), doing my 5 games between Aug-Oct. After they flew through, I received my certificate and CFA badge in November/December time. This was when I applied to join the progression pathway for my Y1-Y2, although unfortunately I fell short on the number of games due to a few injuries and then having to cut my own season short for personal reasons. However, one massive positive for me was that my last game of the season was as the referee on an U12's League Cup Semi-Final, which I was appointed to due to being top 3 on average club marks in the respective age group at the time out of over 350 officials on the league. I also had the joy of being appointed to U11 (middle) and U13 (AR) finals, although unfortunately I had to pull out of those, but I'm hoping I'll get one next year! This leads to me on to next season. I'm currently taking a few weeks to rest and recover, before I start training for the 2024-25 season, which will not only be my first full season as a qualified match official, but also my first as a Level 7, meaning I hope to move slowly through the age groups and eventually up to adults to gain more experience and maybe even apply for my 7-6. This season would not have been possible without those of you on this forum, as you continually provide invaluable support and tips to help me develop as an official. As I move onto next season and develop my skills further (including a few minor points identified over the season which need some work), I wanted to say thanks, and congratulations to all of you who qualified or earned promotions during this season, and good luck for the next!
