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Football referee
Assistant referee
Football referees take charge of matches and make sure players compete within the rules of the game.
Average salary (a year)
£0
Starter
£0
Experienced
Typical hours (a week)
36.0 to 38.0 hours
variable
Work Hours
evenings / weekends / bank holidays
flexibly
How to become
Explore the different ways to get into this role
You can get into this job by training with a professional body.
Other Routes
You can become a referee through a structured training programme run by the Football Association (FA).
The course is a mix of online and face-to-face training. You must finish the online learning and do safeguarding training before you complete the face-to-face module.
The online learning covers the laws of football, including
pre-match responsibilities, signals and communication, how to manage common issues, the offside rule, dealing with with restarts and set pieces
You'll then need to complete 11 hours of face-to-face training that includes classroom-based learning and practical work on the pitch.
To qualify, you must referee at least five 11-a-side games and be assessed by a referee mentor.
You would usually start to referee at youth football level then progress to higher levels as your experience grows. You can do further training with the FA to help you advance in both the men's and women's game.
More Information
Professional And Industry Bodies
You can join the The Referees' Association for support and professional development.
Further Information
You can find out how to become a referee from England Football and the Amateur FA.
What it takes
Find out what skills you’ll use in this role
Skills and knowledge
You'll need:
    Excellent verbal communication skills
    The ability to use your judgement and make decisions
    The ability to work well with others
    To be thorough and pay attention to detail
    Patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
    The ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
    The ability to think clearly using logic and reasoning
    Concentration skills
Digital Skills Level
to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device
Related Restrictions
be over 14 years of age
What you will do
Discover the day-to-day tasks you’ll do in this role
Day to day tasks
As a referee, you could
meet with team managers and brief your assistants before a game, inspect the pitch, markings and equipment prior to kick off, manage the game, make decisions and check rulings made by assistants, deal with inappropriate behaviour and language on and off the pitch, stop the game when player safety is at risk, for example a head injury, produce a match report after a game, highlighting any incidents
Working environment
You could work on a sports field.
You may need to wear a uniform.
Your working environment may be physically demanding, outdoors in all weathers and you'll travel often.
Career Path & Progression
Look at progression in this role and similar opportunities
With experience, you could train to become a referee training instructor, match assessor or referee development officer with a County FA.
You could also use your knowledge and experience to move into related areas, like sports development in the community.
Job profile data provided by The National Careers Service.
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