Advice on whether to go for 7-6 promotion

[LHref]

I am currently level 7 and am very keen to gain promotion. I wanted to ask advice on whether I should consider going for promotion at any point in the next three years which I will spend at uni. Here are my doubts/difficulties:

1. I will be at university in Nottingham with limited transport- only the youth league seems to operate near to me (and obviously adult football is required)- which is an issue
2. I will only be in Essex- where I can easily access adult matches- for two and a half months of season time- do you think I could cram the 20 (or 14, see below) required matches in that sort of period? Is there one set date to take the LOTG exam/ "in service training seminar", or are there multiple dates to choose from because I may (admittedly I may not) have trouble attending those.
3. I have limited experience refereeing adult football- only half a dozen games or so- is that a real obstacle?

Can I also ask if anyone knows if it's possible to do six under 18 games- as permitted- at Nottingham and the rest in Essex or is a mix of counties not permissible?

Thank you for any advice anyone can offer. Hope these aren't silly/obvious questions!

 

[HullRef]

I don't know the rest but yes you can mix counties, I'm doing that for the same promotion.
Just make sure that they both know what you're doing

 

[Tealeaf]

Marking season runs March to February. Therefore any games in that late season period (where you may also be back home) will count towards the 20 even though they are split over 2 seasons. Were you to do a couple of Sundays as well as Saturdays you would find the number easily achievable.

 

[Brian Hamilton]

I am currently level 7 and am very keen to gain promotion. I wanted to ask advice on whether I should consider going for promotion at any point in the next three years which I will spend at uni. Here are my doubts/difficulties:

1. I will be at university in Nottingham with limited transport- only the youth league seems to operate near to me (and obviously adult football is required)- which is an issue
2. I will only be in Essex- where I can easily access adult matches- for two and a half months of season time- do you think I could cram the 20 (or 14, see below) required matches in that sort of period? Is there one set date to take the LOTG exam/ "in service training seminar", or are there multiple dates to choose from because I may (admittedly I may not) have trouble attending those.
3. I have limited experience refereeing adult football- only half a dozen games or so- is that a real obstacle?

Can I also ask if anyone knows if it's possible to do six under 18 games- as permitted- at Nottingham and the rest in Essex or is a mix of counties not permissible?

Thank you for any advice anyone can offer. Hope these aren't silly/obvious questions!

Both the University of Nottingham and Nottingham Trent Uni participate in this competition

http://www.bucs.org.uk/sport.asp?section=459&sectionTitle=Football

and from my time in uni football as a referee, the standard is pretty high. In fact one of my local unis (in Leeds) were on the cusp of Contrib football with their 1st team and their 3rds and 4ths played a a decent and testing level. I am sure, if you ask around when you get to uni, they (Notts unis) would only be too happy to have the services of a new referee. Also Notts County FA are a very capable county in terms of referee development. So perhaps get in touch with them either before you head up or after Freshers week has settled down. I am sure Marc Birkett (the RDO) and his team would welcome a keen referee in their portfolio.

I'm sure both options are viable and may require a little bit of sacrifice from you. I guarantee a city with two universities and two Football League teams will have more than just a junior league on your doorstep. With regard to your limited experience in open age football, there's plenty of games which will be at your level. I'm sure the clubs will welcome having a qualified referee. Once you get past the problems caused by you speaking with an unusual accent, you'll be absolutely fine.

None of your questions are silly or obvious, except if you ask them more than once or if you ignore/argue about the answers given. Good luck.