Football referee

How to Become a Premier League Referee

How to Become a Premier League Referee

If you love the game of football then at one time or other you must have thought about being either a footballer or the referee. People usually think that being a football player is quite difficult as compared to being a referee. But when you enter this field, you will understand that it is not as easy as it looks from the stand or on your television set. If you have set your heart at becoming a referee then keep reading this oneHOWTO article to find out how to become a premier league referee.

Contents

  1. Who can become a referee?
  2. Where should I start?
  3. Refereeing levels
  4. What is necessary to become a referee?

Who can become a referee?

Anyone who loves the game of football can become a referee for the Premier League. But along with the right intention, you will need talent, dedication, fitness, hard work and experience to perfect the act of refereeing. You are eligible as long as you are at least 14 years of age and a British citizen.

Where should I start?

The way to the top always starts at bottom. So, start out on any basic referee course. With practice and experience you will be promoted through semi-professional level and then to National level.

To get into a basic referee course you should contact your district's County Football Association to know when the next course is going to start. Here are the names of the different Associations you'll be able to contact:

  • Worcestershire FA
  • Wiltshire FA
  • Westmorland FA
  • West Riding FA
  • Sussex FA
  • Surrey FA
  • Suffolk FA
  • Staffordshire FA
  • Somerset FA
  • Shropshire FA
  • Sheffield & Hallamshire FA
  • Oxfordshire FA
  • Nottinghamshire FA
  • Northuberland FA
  • Northhamptonshire FA
  • North Riding FA
  • Norfolk FA
  • Middlesex FA
  • Manchester FA
  • London FA
  • Liverpool FA
  • Lincolnshire FA
  • Leicestershire & Rutland FA
  • Lancashire FA
  • Kent FA
  • Jersey FA
  • Isle of Man FA
  • Huntingdonshire FA
  • Hertfordshire FA
  • Herefordshire FA
  • Hampshire FA
  • Guernsey FA
  • Gloucestershire FA
  • Essex FA
  • East Riding FA
  • Durham FA
  • Dorset FA
  • Devon FA
  • Derbyshire FA
  • Cumberland FA
  • Cornwall FA
  • Cheshire
  • Cambridgeshire FA
  • Birmingham FA
  • Berks & Bucks FA
  • Bedfordshire

If you are in the army, the Royal air Force or the Salvation army, you also have your own FA county you can contact and take the course from.

Refereeing levels

Once you have passed your basic referee course, you will have to start escalating from the bottom level to the top by getting promoted.

There are many different levels of refereeing in between these. They are:

  • Level 1 – National List (Football League and Premier League)
  • Level 2a – Panel Select (Conference Premier)
  • Level 2b – Panel (Conference North and South)
  • Level 3 – Contributory (Contributory Leagues)
  • Level 4 – Supply ( Supply Leagues)
  • Level 5 – Senior County (County Leagues)
  • Level 6 – County (County leagues)
  • Level 7 – Junior (Amateur leagues)
  • Level 8 – Youth (Junior Referee below age of 16)
  • Level 9 – Trainee

Who can promote me to the next level?

From when you are a trainee, it will be the County Football Association that will endorse you to move forward to the next level. Once you have passed all the county levels, you will be eligible to enter Supply leagues, which you may be appointed to by the Football Association, which controls semi-professional referees (from level 4 to level 2a).

You will get a chance to be appointed at a Premier League match once you have refereed at level 2a and can be appointed by the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) who will train, develop and mentor referees.

How do you get a Three Lions badge?

The famous Three Lions badge is awarded to referees who officiate an FA competition final or those who represent the FA in any international FIFA competition.

How to Become a Premier League Referee - Refereeing levels

What is necessary to become a referee?

Now you know the procedure, let's go over what it takes to get to a professional Premere League level:

Learn the rules

The first and most important step to become a referee is to learn the rules of game by heart. Start by taking part in local matches and learn from your mistakes and experiences.

Management skills

The key skill which is necessary to become a football referee is its man management skill. A referee is in charge of the teams of officials and players. So, he/ she should make sure that both managers and players of both the teams are being dealt fairly. Also, this will ensure smooth running of the game. To become a referee you must know how to deal with all kinds of people because each and every manager and player have different temperament.

Fit physique

Fitness must be your first aim. The more fit you are, the more better you can perform on field. If you get to be a Premier League referee, you should know that the PGMOL gathers all referees and assistants twice a month for a training camp for hard training sessions and are also monitored during all matches by appointed Match Delegates.

Concentration and focus

Being a referee is not a piece of cake. They need huge mental capacity. A referee must have good concentration and focus. During the match audience keeps yelling and sometimes even throwing things. There are many other forms of distraction on the field too. But a referee must concentrate on the ball and players.

If you want to read similar articles to How to Become a Premier League Referee, we recommend you visit our Sports category.

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Samar Ali
Sir mai dist. Aur state level khel chuka hu sir mai ranjy trophy khelna chahata hu kya mujhe ek bar mauka mil sakta h sir please sir
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How to Become a Premier League Referee