Football referee

Football referees take charge of matches and make sure players compete within the rules of the game.

In this guide

What you'll do

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.

Your working environment may be physically demanding, outdoors in all weathers and you'll travel often.

You may need to wear a uniform.

Career path and progression

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.

What it takes

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
  • to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device

Restrictions and Requirements

You'll need to:

Most relevant

  • Physical Education - Football referees need a high level of physical fitness to keep up with play throughout a full match, often running several kilometres per game. They also need a deep understanding of the rules of football, fair play, and how sport is organised and governed.
  • Psychology - Football referees must manage conflict, stay calm under intense pressure, and make split-second decisions while thousands of people may be watching. Understanding how stress, emotion, and group behaviour work helps them handle confrontations with players and maintain authority on the pitch.

Also relevant

  • English Language - Football referees need strong verbal communication skills to explain decisions clearly to players, coaches, and assistants during a match. After the game, they write detailed match reports highlighting any incidents, so being able to communicate precisely in writing matters too.
  • Law - Football referees interpret and enforce the laws of the game, making judgements about whether rules have been broken and deciding on appropriate sanctions. This process of applying rules to specific situations and weighing evidence is very similar to legal reasoning.
  • Biology - Football referees need to understand player safety, including recognising signs of serious injury such as concussion or heat exhaustion, so they can stop play when needed. Knowledge of how the body responds to physical exertion also helps referees manage their own fitness and recovery.
  • Mathematics - Football referees manage timekeeping throughout a match, calculating added time based on stoppages and delays. They also need to quickly judge distances – for example, whether a wall is ten yards from a free kick – and may use basic data when writing match reports.

How to become

You can get into this job by training with a professional body.

You can become a referee through a structured training programme run by the Football Association (FA).

To start, you'll need to register with your local County FA and complete the FA Referee Course.

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.

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.

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