Make a difference to the game
Get into refereeing in Cumberland
The FA Referee Course
The FA Referees Course is designed for anyone aged 14 and up who wants to join the tens of thousands of referees who operate week in week out on local parks, throughout the English football pyramid, up to those who officiate The FA Cup Final and on the International stage. As a referee you play an integral role in ensuring all participants enjoy their match day experience, helping create a competitive, fair, safe and enjoyable playing environment.
register your interest for FUTURE courseS
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 potential 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.
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!
VISIT THE CFA KITLOCKER STORE
CHECK OUT OUR PARTNER KITLOCKER FOR THE LATEST NIKE WARM UP KIT
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 RefSupport@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.
REFEREE ARMBAND INITIATIVE
The armbands act as a visual reminder to Coaches, Players and Spectators that the Match Official is New to Refereeing or a Child.
READ MORE ON THE REFEREE ARMBAND INITIATIVE
RESPECT THE REF
Find out more about The FA's Respect The Ref campaign
Reasons to Referee
If you're thinking about taking up the whistle, remember, refereeing is a great way to:
- Give something back to the game you love
- Remain involved in the game after injury or retirement
- Play a vital role in ensuring players enjoy the game
- Increase participation in the sport
- Make new and lasting friends
Want to find out more?
Connecting, Supporting and Developing Grassroots Football
Whether you're 14 or 114, male or female there's an opportunity for you to become a referee. Referees are appointed to games depending on age (junior referees will only referee matches with players younger than themselves) and experience so there is a perfect match for everyone!
If you're playing days are coming to an end, its a perfect way to stay involved in the game!
You need no prior experience to become a referee, but there are some pre-requisites (shown above) that you will need to complete before completing the course. Book onto one of our Cumberland FA Referee Courses and all the necessary training will be provided to you.
Yes, you can still referee as a number of games take place in both the mornings and afternoons over the weekend. However, to complete the course each candidate has to officiate five matches and so this may initially clash with some playing fixtures.
No this will not affect your opportunities, a number of referees do not drive. All you will need to do is liaise with the referee appointments secretary who will then give you games closer to home.
Throughout each season we aim to run referee courses in each area of the county to maximise the number of new referees supporting grassroots football.