The start of my refereeing career!
Referring is an important part of football, without it games would not be held. It’s not something that you see a lot of girls doing at the moment, but hopefully that is starting to change. You see referees from grassroots football matches all the way up to FIFA and UEFA tournaments. Everybody can be a referee and volunteering to ref a match just so other people can play and have fun is something that I am so grateful for whenever I play. Watching Referees like Rebecca Welch – a well known match official who has been on some of the biggest stages in the world such as the WSL, and FIFA/UEFA Tournaments, has inspired me to take a next step into my football journey and complete the level 4 Football Australia referee course!!
The course is run by Football Australia and allows anybody from the age of 13 years old to take on the challenge of refereeing grassroots football matches, aimed initially at U12 and U14 level. This is a great opportunity for any young football lover to get a first job and start making some money, while also doing thing that they love. The first part of the training involves an online “laws of the game “course. this involves a detailed education on the laws of the game and basic rules of football. There is a small quiz at the end of each module that you need to complete. Once you have completed the online laws of the game education, you can find a level 4 referee course in your area – and that’s exactly what I did.
It was a bit daunting getting dropped off at the Riverside Olympic Football Club rooms for the practical course…. but I thought to myself “I just need to complete this day, and then I will be ready to get out on the pitch!!”. Well… it was not as easy as I thought.
The day of the course was long, with even more “laws of the game” revision. Sitting in the small room with about 20 other people (3 who were my friends that I begged to come and do it with me) is not something I wanted to spend all day doing. The fun stuff started when we were handed whistles and red and yellow cards for the first time. I didn’t think you needed to learn how to blow a whistle “it’s easy” were my exact words when we were heading outside… turns out I was wrong!!. Blowing the whistle all the different ways was way more challenging than I had expected and it has taken a few weeks to get the hang of.
We all stood in a circle as we were taught the Assistant Referee signs – I knew what I was doing with this so felt pretty confident. We had to take turns being the Referee and ARs in a mini match we played. My friend and I did not want to go in the centre at the time because it was utter chaos but of course we still had to. During the five minutes I was in the centre, there were 2 offsides, 2 yellow cards, a red card, a drop ball because I was smashed in the face, and a penalty. Wowzah! Thankfully we were told that an actual match would be nothing like it.
We headed back inside and were delighted to hear that we had completed the Level 4 referee course. Our future in referring was also a large topic of discussion and I tried to absorb as much of the advice the coaches were giving me. The feeling of being told that you can go to a world cup, Olympics or other major tournament is something surreal, even if it isn’t as a player. This is still just the beginning of all of our referee careers which, could take us to those world stages. May as well aim high!!
About two weeks later, after all of the paperwork was handed into the NTJSA (Northern Tasmania Junior Soccer Association) – I could start.
The first week for me was quite easy, as I had been allocated as an AR for my first two games which I was comfortable with. I called an offside during the first match, and two during the second. Everything was just fine that week. The next week I was given two more AR jobs, and my first centre – yikes!
The whole week leading up to that Saturday, I was reading the mini laws of the game book we were given at the course. I did not want to muck up on my first Centre job. When the day came around, it was my last match of the day. I had my cards, whistle, and small notepad ready for the match. I was very grateful that one of the referee coaches stayed at that match for the whole 60 minutes. Nothing major happened, but there was a very rude coach who was treating the players and referees horribly! I noticed him during a substitution the other team was making, and then again at the end of the match. I found trying to stop play during a substitution hard because the players just wanted to continue – I’ve got the hang of it now. My feedback from the referee coach was that I needed to blow my whistle louder (I really did).
The week after that I had another centre, but this one was easier. I went onto the pitch feeling more comfortable, and ready to go. There was just one problem through the entire match which we had not been taught to deal with…nesting plovers next to the pitch!!! As a referee they are the most annoying thing, mucking up throw ins, swooping the AR, and it taking ages for the ball to be retrieved. At one stage the ball landed in the plover’s nest, so we needed to get a completely new one! How annoying! My third week was really good. I had a successful AR job, and centre. Haven’t given out any cards….yet.
In conclusion, the journey of becoming a football referee is both challenging and rewarding. From the initial training and study to the on-field experience of managing games, the process reveals the dedication required to officiate effectively. While the path may include unexpected hurdles (such as dealing with unruly coaches or disruptive plovers!!) the ultimate goal remains clear: to support the game and ensure fair play and of course have fun.
By embracing these challenges and continuing to grow and develop, aspiring referees can pave the way for a brighter future in football, and act as role models driven by a passion for the sport.
P.S. the uniforms are really comfortable!!
Sienna.