Hi I have recently completed my course I’m 38 and I have only recently stopped playing and decided to take up becoming a referee I was just wandering how far is a realistic level I could aim for at my age don’t get me wrong i know I won’t be refereeing in the premier league .but if I work hard learn and put in alot of effort in how far could I go any help would be great thank you
A 38 year old new ref
- Thread starter Rory
- Start date
I took it up at 33. You could be doing semi pro football in 3 or 4 years. Once you get to that level it starts to become very competitive but theres no age limit so there's loads of opportunity for you
That’s brilliant mate thank you I’m realistic on how far I can go but I would like to get as far as I possibly could I’m working on my fitness so that should not be a problem would it be worth my while doing a game on a Saturday and Sunday to get game experience
Yeah why not. Do as many as you feel like. Some do 1 game a weekend, some 3 or 4. Whatever suites you
There are no age limits any more, so no barrier to how far you can get. Officials have certainly been promoted to football league assistants in their 50s. They key thing is that you need to get to Level 3 to get into the national league system, getting to 6 and 5 should be straight forward if you know the basics. To L4 is a bit more tricky, but it is the jump from 4 to 3 that is the hardest one
But yes, get some experience in to see how it goes and then apply for promotion when it becomes available. Even if you don't get promoted you will still have received advice from experienced observers that hopefully makes you a better referee.
But yes, get some experience in to see how it goes and then apply for promotion when it becomes available. Even if you don't get promoted you will still have received advice from experienced observers that hopefully makes you a better referee.
That is brilliant mate thank you for the advice I really am going to give it my best shot I have to do a full season at level 7 to apply for promotion? I have also seen a thing about mentors would it be worth getting one and once again thank you for your help
Technically you do, but in my experience that is rarely enforced. Next promotion season starts on 1st August 2022 so you will have done not far off a full season anyway.
Mentoring is a tricky one, there are some really good mentors out there but there are also some very outdated ones that are "stuck in their ways". Don't know where you are based, but if your county has a referee's academy that is based at a professional club's academy then that is the way to go, You will get watched on games by experienced and trained referee coaches, and t is a great way to learn. The only possible fly in the ointment is they tend to prefer younger referees, and whilst at 38 you are far from old it might be an issue, worth asking though especially with the current referee shortage.
PinnerPaul
RefChat Addict
My next door neighbour was 47 when he took the course and got to level 4.
Oh great I have a few years on him so if I put the effort in and work hard I should get to a decent level
Justylove
RefChat Addict
I qualified at 38 and am currently a L4.
I could have got here a bit quicker than I did, but work and family commitments make it a bit of a juggling act with football. Realistically if you have ambitions of the Premier League or reffing the World Cup final you’ve started too late, however you can still operate at a very good standard of football.
I could have got here a bit quicker than I did, but work and family commitments make it a bit of a juggling act with football. Realistically if you have ambitions of the Premier League or reffing the World Cup final you’ve started too late, however you can still operate at a very good standard of football.
Brilliant mate i just want to get to the highest level I can even yea I totally understand that i have started to late to get to them sort of levels but I would like to get upto a level like yourself