I’d be interested to hear the thoughts of the forum, though I’ve worded this carefully as I know some colleagues from my CFA may have seen this interaction.
A club sent out an email this week to "all league referees" asking if anyone was available to officiate their game next weekend. The email also suggested that there would be many more opportunities to referee for that club moving forward. The ref sec rightly stepped in, explaining that the proper process for assigning referees is through them. Fair enough, right?
However, this is where things get a bit muddied for me, as the email also stated that referees shouldn’t be taking games through these unofficial arrangements.
Without labouring this point too much this year
, when I first qualified, I was essentially left to find my own qualifying games. I relied on Facebook referee groups and contacting clubs directly, which seemed to be the standard and recommended process unless you were already affiliated with a particular club.
From a club’s perspective, there simply aren’t enough referees to cover what feels like 300-400 games each weekend. Inevitably, they have to rely on parents. But many clubs are also aware that some referees might be available at short notice. For example, I’ve picked up games last minute after being contacted directly by teams I’ve officiated for before. I typically block out dates with the league if I’m unsure about my availability to not cause an issue, but sometimes I find I’m free and can still take a game on a Friday or Saturday.
As we all know, thousands of games go ahead every weekend with unqualified referees, qualified "club" referees, and more often parents stepping in. I’m part of a Facebook group where referees regularly take on games "unofficially." We’re talking about Sunday youth football here, where referees are volunteering their time (as has been described on this forum). Is it unreasonable for referees to prefer officiating at a local club just five minutes away, knowing they could potentially referee two or three games in a day, rather than enter the lottery of being sent all over the county to clubs that may not be as welcoming?
I do recognise that this could raise concerns about fairness and potential bias. But, as the saying goes, "life isn’t fair," and I don’t believe there’s a widespread issue of biased or corrupt refereeing at grassroots level.
To be clear, I have no issue with the official availability and appointment process — I know that when I’m available, I’ll always be assigned a game. If anything, I know my only chance of getting a cup final is by being officially available through the season. However, it does feel like there’s a significant conflict here that needs to be addressed.
A club sent out an email this week to "all league referees" asking if anyone was available to officiate their game next weekend. The email also suggested that there would be many more opportunities to referee for that club moving forward. The ref sec rightly stepped in, explaining that the proper process for assigning referees is through them. Fair enough, right?
However, this is where things get a bit muddied for me, as the email also stated that referees shouldn’t be taking games through these unofficial arrangements.
Without labouring this point too much this year
, when I first qualified, I was essentially left to find my own qualifying games. I relied on Facebook referee groups and contacting clubs directly, which seemed to be the standard and recommended process unless you were already affiliated with a particular club.From a club’s perspective, there simply aren’t enough referees to cover what feels like 300-400 games each weekend. Inevitably, they have to rely on parents. But many clubs are also aware that some referees might be available at short notice. For example, I’ve picked up games last minute after being contacted directly by teams I’ve officiated for before. I typically block out dates with the league if I’m unsure about my availability to not cause an issue, but sometimes I find I’m free and can still take a game on a Friday or Saturday.
As we all know, thousands of games go ahead every weekend with unqualified referees, qualified "club" referees, and more often parents stepping in. I’m part of a Facebook group where referees regularly take on games "unofficially." We’re talking about Sunday youth football here, where referees are volunteering their time (as has been described on this forum). Is it unreasonable for referees to prefer officiating at a local club just five minutes away, knowing they could potentially referee two or three games in a day, rather than enter the lottery of being sent all over the county to clubs that may not be as welcoming?
I do recognise that this could raise concerns about fairness and potential bias. But, as the saying goes, "life isn’t fair," and I don’t believe there’s a widespread issue of biased or corrupt refereeing at grassroots level
.To be clear, I have no issue with the official availability and appointment process — I know that when I’m available, I’ll always be assigned a game. If anything, I know my only chance of getting a cup final is by being officially available through the season. However, it does feel like there’s a significant conflict here that needs to be addressed.
