New FA research illustrates opportunities and challenges faced by youth referees
Research by Dr Suzanne Everley of the University of Chichester on behalf of The FA has explored some of the opportunities and challenges that the organisation faces in supporting its young referees. The research follows the launch of The FA’s landmark strategy for refereeing in 2023 to improve every aspect of grassroots refereeing and inspire the next generation of referees in England.
The research found that young referees benefited from increased confidence, people management skills, conflict resolution skills and development of a career path as a result of their involvement in officiating.
The report comes at a time where referee numbers have been increasing, with 14,000 (38 percent) referees in the current workforce between the ages of 14-17. When extending to 14–24-year-olds this increases to 54 percent, with the majority of referees under 25.
Recent statistics also reveal 5,000 referees who started refereeing last season were 14-15 years old, with 73 percent of new referees recruited under 18, showing that the benefits of refereeing are translating into increasing numbers and popularity.
The research also explored the issue of abuse in grassroots football and found the majority of the abuse experienced comes from parents, described by one referee appointment officer as ‘the number one issue’ faced by child officials.
Understanding this concern is contributing to work currently being completed by The FA to drive positive behaviour across grassroots football and act as a clear deterrent against unacceptable behaviour. This season, The FA has introduced a new behaviour improvement programme which will see penalty points accumulations introduced in the grassroots game, identifying the worst offending clubs for incidents of behavioural offences such as dissent and violent conduct, along with poor overall matchday respect scores. This builds on the steps taken last season to allow for deductions of league points from clubs that are repeated offenders of serious misconduct.
Furthermore, a new Respect Standard, supported by Codes of Conduct, has been launched for the 2024-25 season, clearly setting out expectations of behaviours in the grassroots game: Enjoy the Game; Give Respect; Be Inclusive; Work Together; and Play Safe. These have been distributed to all grassroots clubs, with participants encouraged to embrace the expected standards of behaviour.
The research also shows a focus on learning to prevent and manage spectator behaviour is being provided to further help referees development, giving them the support to help address any unacceptable behaviours in the game, which means that they can have a really positive experience. As one young referee stated: “What I’ve gained is just a massive range of skills, you know, teamwork skills, communication skills. I have gained fitness. I’ve gained a lot of experience in general how to work well under pressure, how to deal with situations”.
The research was undertaken as part of a multifaceted research collaboration between Dr Everley and Dr Mel Day at University of Chichester and The FA, exploring how children’s voices can be more effectively represented in the sport. As part of its ‘Building an Ever Safer Culture’ strategy this work is being utilised to ensure an ever-increasing inclusive environment in which children can enjoy football, whatever their role.
