Skip to Content

The Referees' Association is an organised group of people involved with Refereeing which is run by Referees for the benefit of Referees and is administered from our head Office in Coventry.

 

We are organised into 306 local societies in 3 Countries and most of our 13,500 members only experience their local society but are safe in the knowledge that we all have the support of our County and National structures.

 
Men and women take up refereeing for a number of reasons, some are frustrated footballers while others have come to the end of their playing careers and have decided to put something back into the game.

Some start their refereeing at school, whilst others begin a career with the whistle later in life. A very small number of us will go to the very top and reach the FA Premier League or International level either as a Referee or as an Assistant Referee, most will be active on the local parks or somewhere in between.
 

Everyone within the football community whether players, administrators, supporters or Referees all have the same objective, that is to participate in and to maximise their enjoyment from the game which we all love.

 

It would be fair to say that we referee because we enjoy it. All referees, however, are professional in that we receive a fee for our service and it is only right therefore that we show a professional attitude.

There are several benefits of membership of The Referees' Association. We provide a low cost Insurance Policy, Supplies, Various training and information publications, a Benevolent Fund for those of our members who are in need and most importantly, through our network of local societies we encourage discussion on the game not only amongst members, but also with various footballing bodies


Insurance
We operate an extremely low cost Personal Accident Insurance scheme for members which is currently £4.00 PER YEAR and which provides insurance cover whilst travelling directly to and from a game and during a game, whilst on recognised referees' Society business and also for the theft of refereeing equipment to the value of £200. The weekly benefits provided are at the rate of £100 per week if a referee is injured as a result of an accident. The insurance policy only covers UK resident members of The Association whilst refereeing in the UK .

Products and Publications
We stock an extensive range of good quality kit and accessories at competitive prices. Further details of these products and services are given on the RA shop pages which are devoted specifically to those items.
 
Benevolent Fund
We hope that our members never need assistance from the Benevolent Fund but, sadly, some of our members do fall on hard times and are in need. Whatever the reason for this need the Benevolent Fund is there to assist all of our members. 

Local Societies

Local societies operate like a self help group where referees meet together to discuss different aspects of the game, we learn from and with each other to improve our refereeing skills. Continual in house training on the interpretation and implementation of law helps to improve match day performances. By discussing Refereeing issues with colleagues from different levels of the game, we are able learn from the experiences of others and to implement methods of best practice which will improve our match day performance and increase our enjoyment from the game. Most local societies have a Representative on the local league or competition to ensure that problems can be quickly discussed and resolved.

 
County Association
Local societies within a County FA area combine together to form a County Association which enables them to discuss matters of common interest. Most County Associations have a representative on either the Referees' committee or the Board or Council of their parent County Football Association

National Association
The 3 National Associations maintain a very close working relationship with their parent National FA and discuss matters with their National FA on behalf of members to resolve problems.
 
As a referee, you will benefit from the skills, protection, peace of mind, training, insurance and above all the camaraderie that membership of the Referees' Association will give, we believe that everyone involved in Refereeing should be a member.

PhysioCare - only £12 per year

PhysioCare provides you with fast access to private physiotherapy treatment for an injury without having to go to a GP or an NHS hospital for a referral.  If you injure yourself whilst refereeing or training then you will be able to access fast, professional, private physiotherapy treatment in accordance with the PhysioCare agreement.
 
For further information about the Referees' Assocation, email us and we shall be delighted to send you full details of membership both locally and overseas.

Take advantage of our expertise, experience and guidance. We are sure that you will benefit and that reaping the rewards of membership will assist you in promoting your career as a referee.