A&H

How Old Are You?

What Age Bracket Are You In (Active Referees)

  • 21 or under

    Votes: 18 23.4%

  • 22 to 30

    Votes: 15 19.5%

  • 31 to 40

    Votes: 12 15.6%

  • 41 to 50

    Votes: 18 23.4%

  • 51 to 60

    Votes: 10 13.0%

  • Over 60

    Votes: 4 5.2%
  • Total voters
    77
  • Poll closed .
Kes

Kes

I'll Decide ...
Just curious as to the average age of forum members. Assuming that we represent the broad spectrum of referees across the UK (notwithstanding or precluding those members we have on here from overseas) I'd expect our average age to be in the 30-40 year old bracket. (?)

I know that there are plenty of referees that start early in life but have always held the belief that most of us take up the whistle either after we've finished as players or at an age commensurate with being a coach/mentor and doing the course often as a follow-on on from that.

Maybe I'm wrong(?)

So, lets be hearing your stories and, by completing the poll, see generally how old we are as a bunch on here. Apologies if this one has been done before ... :)
 
The Referee Store
34 and took the whistle up after a relatively successfully amateur player career (not really an appropriate word for an amateur!). Aged 33 and about 70 mins into an amateur game (February) at a lower level I was just walking to pick up the ball for a free kick and it dawned on me that for the first time ever I no longer cared who would win the game and suddenly playing just seemed pointless. In my head I vowed to never play another match and I haven't done since (ive been a football obsessive all my life so it was quite a big decision to make for me).

Didn't miss it once bit and then cricket season started so I threw myself into that as always in the summer and then late summer my Mrs asked me what I was going to do in the winter considering I'd never had a non sporting weekend in my life apart from holidays. The thought of doing nothing is quite daunting for me so the obvious solution was to become a ref and it's been an excellent decision.

Apologies for the long, dreary post, it was actually quite nice to remember it lol.

Must dash, off to ref an u21 friendly...
 
31-40 bracket over here, though sadly closer to the 40 end 😩

My pathway exactly as you suggested above. Coaching juniors for a number of years before doing ref course at 30. Season and a bit of junior football before OA and through development system.

On a side note related to another current thread, CFAs certainly focus on younger refs (understandably, not only as younger refs have more chance of ‘making it’, but also as there’s a perception that older newbies require less handholding as they’ve usually more life experience and a background in football), but I’m glad I persevered and got on development pathway - gave me opportunities most at my age don’t have and set me up at a decent level.
 
Middleman said:
31-40 bracket over here, though sadly closer to the 40 end 😩

My pathway exactly as you suggested above. Coaching juniors for a number of years before doing ref course at 30. Season and a bit of junior football before OA and through development system.

On a side note related to another current thread, CFAs certainly focus on younger refs (understandably, not only as younger refs have more chance of ‘making it’, but also as there’s a perception that older newbies require less handholding as they’ve usually more life experience and a background in football), but I’m glad I persevered and got on development pathway - gave me opportunities most at my age don’t have and set me up at a decent level.
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I just work on the assumption that there is no 'pathway' for someone starting out in their 40's (other than attending RA meetings and regular promotion attempts). My Club Marks are good for what it's worth, but i wouldn't be expecting any contact from anyone
 
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Age is no longer a barrier. A 53 year old was appointed to football league not long ago, and I believe a 56 year old got his level 3 recently. There's no reason why someone in their 40s couldn't make it to level 4, or even level 3, but they obviously need to be good enough and fit enough to pass the fitness test.
 
I'm 44, started at 38, wish I'd have started at 28.
I am still progressing, I can get a lot better... but it's hard to get promoted now. Fierce competition.
I am quick... but the niggling thought is.. for how many more years? I've actually got quicker in the last three years and again there's room to improve a bit... but surely it's gonna start getting much harder closer to 50...?
 
santa sangria said:
I'm 44, started at 38, wish I'd have started at 28.
I am still progressing, I can get a lot better... but it's hard to get promoted now. Fierce competition.
I am quick... but the niggling thought is.. for how many more years? I've actually got quicker in the last three years and again there's room to improve a bit... but surely it's gonna start getting much harder closer to 50...?
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That's when you use your experience to identify where you need to be before you even need to be sprinting to it. ;)

Not much help when they go route one obviously, but if you're up the ladder by 50 you'll have assistants so it becomes less of a factor hopefully?
 
RobOda said:
That's when you use your experience to identify where you need to be before you even need to be sprinting to it. ;)

Not much help when they go route one obviously, but if you're up the ladder by 50 you'll have assistants so it becomes less of a factor hopefully?
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No, you have to be able to keep up with play. There's no hiding. The younger guys I work with do 19.x-20.x yo-yos and I can't do that... but I can keep up with players, I run past most of them on breakaways at the levels I've been doing, and I can get from corner to corner and do 10k plus 90 min ref games. With the flag, there are young assistants that accelerate faster, and turn faster, of course. But over 20-50m crabbing or straight I really motor. The FIFA AR test asks for 6.0 seconds for 40m. My guess is Mane could do it in 4.4 maybe less like some of the American footballers. I made 5.1 last time but there's more to come I hope;)

(He says tucking in to some blue cheese with a beer after a good shift on the line in the fourth tier tonight before tomorrow's fifth tier whistle. Child of 80s football diets!)
 
I'm in the 51 to 60 bracket myself. Started at age 44 but like most at my age, now wish I'd started sooner.

Coaching youngsters to begin with, asked to perform whistle-duties a couple of times at U10 level and figured I might as well do the course and learn the job properly. Never looked back after that. Within a week of qualifying as a level 9, I was out there doing Sunday morning OA matches and realised I had the temperament and confidence to continue.

Went from 7-6 and then 6-5 in consecutive seasons and decided then to just remain there. I like to pick and choose my games and figured being in my comfort zone would allow me to become a better referee over time. I like to think it has.

I wish I'd actually taken it up in my early thirties though. Prior to that, I'm not entirely sure I had the life/people skills to be a good referee or even ejoy it as much as I do today. Everyone's different I suppose. I'd happily say though, that apart from joining the Army at 17, qualifying as a football referee was the best decision I ever made for myself. :)
 
Kes said:
I'm in the 51 to 60 bracket myself. Started at age 44 but like most at my age, now wish I'd started sooner.

Coaching youngsters to begin with, asked to perform whistle-duties a couple of times at U10 level and figured I might as well do the course and learn the job properly. Never looked back after that. Within a week of qualifying as a level 9, I was out there doing Sunday morning OA matches and realised I had the temperament and confidence to continue.

Went from 7-6 and then 6-5 in consecutive seasons and decided then to just remain there. I like to pick and choose my games and figured being in my comfort zone would allow me to become a better referee over time. I like to think it has.

I wish I'd actually taken it up in my early thirties though. Prior to that, I'm not entirely sure I had the life/people skills to be a good referee or even ejoy it as much as I do today. Everyone's different I suppose. I'd happily say though, that apart from joining the Army at 17, qualifying as a football referee was the best decision I ever made for myself. :)
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Your story is precisely what I'm aiming to achieve. Starting age, reasons, aspirations etc etc
 
I started at 38, right at the bottom, and rose to the lofty heights of right at the bottom, spoiled every game I did (apparently) and was never going to climb any ladder due to work & business commitments. Enjoyed some games, hated others, when they wanted to play football or even chuck some tackles in I let them get on with it as long as it didn't cross a line, they knew that! (well, most of them anyway).. I became the go-to ref for the knoobs, the ref-secs safety valve for the worst games in his little book. My card count was initially very high but slowly, slowly, I learned, they learned, what was OK... Latterly I couldn't give a card, they either went soft on me or just behaved better.. Fitness in a game was never an issue, it was the delayed tiredness 1-2 days later that I didn't like... Could I have done more to climb? Yes, did I ever want to? No... Never stopped anyone who wanted to though!!
 
Started in early 30s...38 now. Strangely I've always wanted to be a referee even growing up in Canada watching American Football, Baseball, Football etc I always thought the referee role was fascinating. Life, Career etc took over and I only got around to properly getting into it in my 30s. If I would of lived here in the UK where there is great support for 20 something referees I would no doubt of be involved earlier and who knows.

My goal is to see how high I can go before it starts interfering with my job (which is demanding and requires a lot of international travel). Realistically L3 is probably the most I think I could hope for....TBD if I'm good enough for that....if I had to write down a goal it is to get to L4 and see how that goes and how the world of the FA compares.

I know there are some on here that are anti promotion but I have found the process enlightening and rewarding...the level of football I can now do as 6-5 (I actually already have all my observations done for 5 so I'm getting 5 games from the leagues) and what I'll be able to do as a 5-4 and 4 is so fascinating/challenging/exciting - not to mention how much better being assed can make you if you are open to learning.
 
WilliamD said:
I know there are some on here that are anti promotion but I have found the process enlightening and rewarding...the level of football I can now do as 6-5 (I actually already have all my observations done for 5 so I'm getting 5 games from the leagues) and what I'll be able to do as a 5-4 and 4 is so fascinating/challenging/exciting - not to mention how much better being assed can make you if you are open to learning.
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I don't think anybody on here is "anti promotion". I think there are just some who have little or no desire to progress outside of where they are and some just can't be bothered with it. Others feel they are just too old or unfit to meet the fitness/observation requirement. :)
 
Kes said:
I don't think anybody on here is "anti promotion". I think there are just some who have little or no desire to progress outside of where they are and some just can't be bothered with it. Others feel they are just too old or unfit to meet the fitness/observation requirement. :)
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Or ALL of the above!!! :D
 
WilliamD said:
Started in early 30s...38 now. Strangely I've always wanted to be a referee even growing up in Canada watching American Football, Baseball, Football etc I always thought the referee role was fascinating. Life, Career etc took over and I only got around to properly getting into it in my 30s. If I would of lived here in the UK where there is great support for 20 something referees I would no doubt of be involved earlier and who knows.

My goal is to see how high I can go before it starts interfering with my job (which is demanding and requires a lot of international travel). Realistically L3 is probably the most I think I could hope for....TBD if I'm good enough for that...
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Go for it!

You can work and travel too much in your 60s! The time to go for L3 is now!
I so regret the two slow first years when I didn't know if reffing was really for me while I built confidence. And I so regret not starting 5-10-15 years earlier. (Though as others have said, I don't think I could have handled it in my 20s.)

If you have L3 in your sights - go for it!
 
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