A&H

What's the point in Referee Association?

JoeMaloney5

Well-Known Member
Level 7 Referee
Hi all before i get into it i want to say this is not me saying Ras are pointless or bad but as a question what is the point of them? When i was doing my course my rdo recommended we join one and then again at the exam we got asked who had joined one and if not my rdo said we should really look into joining one but yet 6 months into my referree career ive not needed one as ive never joined one or been advised on what they do so ill repeat what is the point in ras ?
Answers much appreciated
 
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Might be different where you are but in Scotland if you are not a member of a referee association then you are not eligible to accept games or wear a badge etc
 
Might be different where you are but in Scotland if you are not a member of a referee association then you are not eligible to accept games or wear a badge etc
that sounds like countys to me cause if you're not a member of your local county fa your not insured so not allowed to ref games as a result (i think)
 
@JoeMaloney5 There are many benefits of being a member of the RA, they offer insurance and physio care, discounts etc.

For me the main one is the society meetings, here you can mix with referee's from retired (but experienced) Level 10's, to fellow level 7's and in some cases as in ours right up to Football League lines and Referee's and Ex Premier League Assistants. You can learn so much from these guys and even more from the presentations and guest speakers.

And finally, if for no other reason than to meet up with like minded people and have a drink and a laugh once a month.
 
Try one and see? There are some excellent ones and some terrible ones. RA membership is completely free for a year for new refs.
The best ones will offer training to help your development and you’re far more likely to get someone to come and watch you.
 
I had a chat to a member of my local RA recently and he said to come along and see. He was an older ref with lots of experience. My first RA meeting is tomorrow. Looking forward to it (and the excuse for cheeky midweek pint). Will be good as a newish ref to get advise on how to improve. Im guessing it can only help!
 
Might be different where you are but in Scotland if you are not a member of a referee association then you are not eligible to accept games or wear a badge etc

Around 10 years ago a new referee appeared mid season in our local amateur league. I never met or saw him in action but by all accounts he was a decent referee and there had been no particular issues. Turned out he was neither qualified or registered and a decision was taken that all the games he'd covered had to be replayed - it was quite late in the season before this came about so it made for a hectic round of games. Since then the local RA and leagues have tightened up. RA provides all league secretaries with a list of registered referees and only those from the list are appointed to fixtures.
 
On my course I also had the hard sell for the RA. I went along to a meeting where they had a current premier league referee speaking.

The speech was aimed at motivating young referees to do their best to succeed in refereeing.

I was the second youngest person in the room (at age 43) and the only active referee other than the speaker. I left after about 20 minutes and have never been back.

The RA might be brilliant at something but I don't know what it is.
 
There are general benefits of membership such as kit insurance etc.

But, the value you get from being a member of your local branch will vary greatly depending on the branch.

Mine isn’t too bad, at 33 I’m the youngest member, but aside from one person everyone else is still active in the local leagues to varying degrees.

But, we suffer from a lack of membership, which means a lack of money, which means we’re unable to afford guest speakers etc.
 
On my course I also had the hard sell for the RA. I went along to a meeting where they had a current premier league referee speaking.

The speech was aimed at motivating young referees to do their best to succeed in refereeing.

I was the second youngest person in the room (at age 43) and the only active referee other than the speaker. I left after about 20 minutes and have never been back.

The RA might be brilliant at something but I don't know what it is.

See we are pretty lucky i suppose. We are the biggest in the country excluding London and have members from 14 to 80.
 
I joined my local RA and really enjoy the meetings (midweek pint etc). I've learn't loads since I joined (i passed the exam in december but joined in the september before). They have a Q&A session on anything that might be mentioned (decisions/incidents from local games to national games) and there's always someone with good advice or an opinion!!!
 
We have a youth section (sadly undersubscribed), have a meeting monthly where we always have some form of classroom based training, hold an annual development event where practical training is delivered, had two recent presentations on VAR and current PGMOL practices and had 3 current or former members of our RA on duty last week on the Premier League. We have also sent a team of 4 to an international youth tournament for the last 6 years (all off field kit supplied). We also accompany any referee who attends a personal hearing. We had an annual presentation dinner to honour the referees who had local cup finals for the last 100 years.

We do ok.

But then again, what did the RA ever do for us?
 
- A forum to discuss things with other referees
- Training events/development sessions
- Guest speakers from a variety of different fields
- Insurance
- People like me get to send you newsletters :p :D
 
Am I confused here, the RA isn't the same as the Ref's Societies is it? Though the RS are part of the RA aren't they?
 
My first RA meeting is tomorrow.

I went to my first RA meeting. Was very interesting. Lots of different points of view on different issues. All friendly and a great place to talk and meet other refs. Only disappointment was the lack of young referees! They are trying to advertise themselves (maybe in the wrong way) but with little luck, which is a shame as I can see how an environment for discussions and guidance like that would really benefit a young, enthusiastic referee. I would recommend you go along and see what it is like for yourself.
 
- A forum to discuss things with other referees
- Training events/development sessions
- Guest speakers from a variety of different fields
- Insurance
- People like me get to send you newsletters :p :D
Who else out there listens to Teasmaid in Northamptonshire if it weren’t for his monthly newsletter ramblings and his injury updates... Long may it continue! :)
 
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