Shropshire £160 / Sussex £150 / London £140 / Amateur FA £135 / Surrey £140 / Hertfordshire £135 (last season)
It is just me, or is this cost for the course just a bit too much?
I hesitated before posting this, considering the costs of facilities, two trainers, and the provided equipment, which might justify the pricing as reasonable. Additionally, the CFA may set course fees to ensure a higher level of commitment from attendees. While I don't have concrete data, I suspect that when courses were offered at reduced rates or for free in some counties, the retention and completion rates of trainee referees were low. And of course the fact that referee's are likely to earn their fee back in their first season.
However, I can't help but feel uneasy about the price, especially given the ongoing referee shortages and the constant reminder that there's no game without referees. Most importantly, football was always meant to be a working man's sport, accessible to everyone (a bit deep for this time of night, I know).
For my CFA in Hertfordshire, there certainly isn't a shortage of attendees, with courses selling out within an hour of going live on the website. However, during the course I completed last year, only four adults attended, while the rest were youth participants aged 14-16. I doubt many of these youths paid the £135 fee themselves, so I assumed that the CFA hold places aside for them and they receive funding in some way (though I could be wrong). I've also speculated previously that most of them are unlikely to pursue refereeing as a career; in fact, I'd estimate that 90% of them wouldn't even complete the required training games.
Match fees have been a frequent topic of debate in recent months, particularly regarding how they can hinder referees' progression up the levels. In some cases, referees could be considered to be earning below the national minimum wage when hours spent traveling and at games is taken into account. It could be said that the cost of the referee course could also become a barrier for those looking to pursue a career in refereeing. I personally hesitated for a few years because I didn't want to spend that amount of money on the course.
I don't have some really philoshopical answer, more just typing as I think but be good to hear the thoughts of the forum.
It is just me, or is this cost for the course just a bit too much?
I hesitated before posting this, considering the costs of facilities, two trainers, and the provided equipment, which might justify the pricing as reasonable. Additionally, the CFA may set course fees to ensure a higher level of commitment from attendees. While I don't have concrete data, I suspect that when courses were offered at reduced rates or for free in some counties, the retention and completion rates of trainee referees were low. And of course the fact that referee's are likely to earn their fee back in their first season.
However, I can't help but feel uneasy about the price, especially given the ongoing referee shortages and the constant reminder that there's no game without referees. Most importantly, football was always meant to be a working man's sport, accessible to everyone (a bit deep for this time of night, I know).
For my CFA in Hertfordshire, there certainly isn't a shortage of attendees, with courses selling out within an hour of going live on the website. However, during the course I completed last year, only four adults attended, while the rest were youth participants aged 14-16. I doubt many of these youths paid the £135 fee themselves, so I assumed that the CFA hold places aside for them and they receive funding in some way (though I could be wrong). I've also speculated previously that most of them are unlikely to pursue refereeing as a career; in fact, I'd estimate that 90% of them wouldn't even complete the required training games.
Match fees have been a frequent topic of debate in recent months, particularly regarding how they can hinder referees' progression up the levels. In some cases, referees could be considered to be earning below the national minimum wage when hours spent traveling and at games is taken into account. It could be said that the cost of the referee course could also become a barrier for those looking to pursue a career in refereeing. I personally hesitated for a few years because I didn't want to spend that amount of money on the course.
I don't have some really philoshopical answer, more just typing as I think but be good to hear the thoughts of the forum.