Become A Referee
Whether it’s Euro 2020 inspiring you to pick up the whistle or you’ve been patiently waiting to become a referee, it will soon be time to take the next step as Cumberland FA are hoping to confirm details very soon.
The BRAND-NEW Referee Course costs £130 and is shorter than the previous edition, which means prospective candidates must now complete two pre-requisites before being accepted onto the course.
Please note, candidates can only book onto the Referee Course if they have completed The FA’s online guide to the Laws of the Game AND have the completed relevant Safeguarding training (more details below).
PRE-REQUISITES FOR REGISTRATION
THE FA’S ONLINE GUIDE TO THE LAWS OF THE GAME
The FA’s guide to the Laws of the Game will help improve your understanding of the Laws of the Game (and the variations for youth football) and is available FREE OF CHARGE.
There are five sections (modules) to work through and it will take approximately 90 minutes to complete. Videos are used throughout to demonstrate how the Law should be applied and there are activities to reinforce all the key points. There are some questions at the end of each module, all of which must be answered correctly to successfully complete the learning.
ACCESS THE ONLINE LAWS OF THE GAME
If the candidate is Under 18 ensure that a parent or guardian has created a FA Number (FAN) and you have been linked together using https://myaccount.thefa.com. If you need help creating a FAN click HERE to view the guide.
When completing the online Laws of the Game training, please make sure you're logged in as the referee, not the parent.
SAFEGUARDING
ALL Referees MUST Have In-Date Safeguarding Education Prior To Registering for the course.
Potential Referees who are 14/15 years old must complete the FREE 1 hour Safeguarding For All course (valid for two years)
Potential Referees aged 16+ must complete the new Online Safeguarding Children Course (£30) which is valid for two years (with continual free re-certification) NB this is not part of the Referee Course fee and must be paid directly to The FA upon sign up/registration.
When completing the Safeguarding Education training, please make sure you're logged in as the referee, not the parent.
FA DBS Check
All Referees Aged 16+ must have an in-date FA DBS Check to officiate Under 18 Games in Youth Football – ideally this will have been started prior to the course so that verification of the relevant chosen ID can be arranged during the course. Contact RDO Scott Taylor to get the process started.
NEXT STEPS
If you're interested in becoming a Referee in Cumberland please complete the short online form (below) so we can log your interest and offer you any support needed prior to the course. You will also receive notification of the course dates when confirmed.
REFEREE KIT
All Cumberland FA Referees have access to our Nike Partner Kitlocker’s online CFA Store to access discounted kit and equipment.
Potential Referees registered on the upcoming courses will be able to get access to the store so you’re ready to go on completion!
Check out our partner Kitlocker for the latest Nike warm up kit
Scott Taylor, Referee Development Officer at Cumberland FA, said: “We are looking forward to finally getting the opportunity to deliver the new FA Referee Course in August and September across Cumberland.
It is a shortened version with much more emphasis on practical refereeing and prior knowledge of the Laws. We have had fantastic initial interest (numbers wise) over the past few months but now is the time for those who have expressed an interest in refereeing to get the pre-course material ticked off and logged so that we can send out booking links, as sadly with the new course format we cannot just put up the course links for just anyone to book on anymore.
The pre-course Laws of the Game and Safeguarding Education requisites must be done before candidates are accepted on a course.”
GET STARTED ON THE ONLINE LAWS OF THE GAME
SUPPORT
If you are experiencing issues or problems with the FA Number (FAN) for Under 16s who are trying to do the new online FA Guide to Laws of the Game course, please check the below FA link for some support:
REFEREEING: FA SUPPORT PORTAL (THEFA.COM)
If you have any queries about Refereeing in Cumberland, please email Referee Development Officer Scott Taylor on Scott.Taylor@CumberlandFA.com or call 07704156781.
AFTER THE COURSE
Mentoring
Working with your relevant League Appointment Officer, we will try and arrange a match where you will be observed by a CFA Referee Mentor who will give you feedback on your performance. (This is not an assessment and is solely for your development purposes). This is also another opportunity for you to ask any questions and get further support from the CFA Referee Mentor.
Training Games
In order to become fully qualified trainee referees must complete five training games.
We will seek feedback from your league and promote you to being a fully qualified ‘Youth’ Referee if Under 16 or Level 7 if 16 or over.
The five training games must be games which include the use of the offside law, and therefore be 9v9 (U11&U12+) or 11v11 football (U13+). Please note Mini Soccer (5v5 or 7v7) do not qualify as training games.
Completion of Course
You will be invited to a call-back webinar, where we will explore information which has been provided on the training game form and seek to offer advice and guidance around any questions or challenges faced. We will also have a guest speaker who will be an experienced referee from Cumberland FA, who can share their experience and journey and answer any questions which you may have. We will also share information around the Promotion Scheme, Referee Associations and Development Opportunities.