Refereeing

There is a shortage of referees in youth football, and it is the single most common reason a game does not happen. The club decided to stop complaining about that and start funding its own.

The deal, plainly

The course and registration are worth about £140. After your five matches you are paid at standard league rates for everything else, like any other official. The club is investing in you, not asking for indefinite free labour.

How it goes

1. 1
   Say you are interested

   An email is enough. Dave Rundall, who runs the pathway, will talk you through what refereeing actually involves and what the time commitment looks like. No commitment at this stage and no form to fill in.

2. 2
   Safeguarding and DBS

   This starts the same day, because DBS clearance takes two to four weeks and it is the slowest part. Nobody officiates a club fixture until both their DBS and their safeguarding certificate are confirmed.

3. 3
   Your course

   The club puts your name forward to the Oxfordshire FA for the next available referee course, and pays the fee. You qualify at Level 9, which is where every referee starts.

4. 4
   A mentor

   You get a named mentor for your first season. Formal county observations are part of it, but the real support is the informal kind: a word before the game, a conversation after it, and somebody on the end of the phone.

5. 5
   Your first five matches

   You start with the youngest age groups and work up. Somebody experienced watches as many of these as possible and talks them through with you afterwards.

6. 6
   Paid appointments

   After five matches you move onto paid appointments at standard league rates. You stay part of the pathway for development and workshops, but you are no longer obligated to the club.

If you are under 18

You can start from 14. There are extra protections and they are not optional: the home team is responsible for your welfare at their fixture, your parents know where and when you are officiating, and you are never put in a position where you are unsupported.

One thing worth saying out loud. A young referee being shouted at by adults on a touchline is a safeguarding matter, not part of the job, and the club treats it that way. If it happens to you, you tell us and we deal with it.