Under-Represented Referee Course

Gloucestershire FA recently partnered up with The FA Refereeing Department and Bristol Central to bring the Reflective & Representative campaign to the county and deliver a referee course for under-represented communities in central Bristol. 

Thanks to funding from both Gloucestershire FA and The FA Refereeing department, candidates were able to access the course for just £40. As part of the course, candidates were provided with a referee starter pack and were also provided a referee kit, with thanks to Grassroots Referees for supplying these. 

Raj Randawa, Refereeing EDI Delivery Manager for The FA had this to say about the course: 

‘FA Refereeing and Gloucestershire FA were pleased to be working alongside Bristol Central Youth FC to provide unique opportunities at a local level. FA Refereeing recognise that the refereeing workforce is not ethnically diverse, and we know that action is needed to rectify this, which seen the launch of The Reflective and Representative campaign.  

The Reflective and Representative campaign was formed in 2023 to recruit 1,000 people from Black, Asian and Mixed Heritage backgrounds over the next three years and forms part of The FA’s wider refereeing strategy, To Grow, Guide and Govern.  

This is a strategic commitment for FA Refereeing, but also for the wider footballing family. Subsequently, it was a great pleasure to work in collaboration with Gloucestershire FA and Bristol Central Youth FC in this important mission to diversify the world of refereeing.  

This partnership marks an exciting milestone in the future relationship, particularly where we can provide further opportunities for Black, Asian and Mixed Heritage populations to join the refereeing family. I would like to thank the Derek and Sam for their support in the initiative.’ 

A total of 11 candidates attended the sessions across the 29th August & 1st September 2024.  

The session was delivered by Minesh Gupta, a Referee Developer for The FA who had this to say about delivering the course: 

‘As a Referee from a south Asian background, I realise the challenges, it was great to deliver a course to learners that looked like me and I was able to share my experiences with them and we need to do much more of the good work that local county FA's are doing along with the national FA, good luck to you all.’ 

The course was facilitated alongside Bristol Central, whose Chair, Derek Scale also attended the course. Following the face-to-face sessions, Derek said: 

‘For me, the referee course has given me the confidence to step onto the field and officiate games. It provided a solid understanding of the rules and how to apply them in games - so watch out everyone.’ 

As well as officiating within Bristol Central, the candidates have been signposted to local leagues across Gloucestershire and the County FA are looking forward to supporting them all on their refereeing journeys. 

Sam Myatt, Equality & Workforce Development Manager for the Gloucestershire FA, said: 

‘It was great to work alongside Bristol Central and The FA Refereeing Department to bring the campaign to Bristol. We are aware that Gloucestershire has a diverse population but this is not reflected within our workforce, especially refereeing. Alongside The FA’s Referee Strategy, it was great to see 11 candidates start their journey and I look forward to working with them all on this exciting journey that awaits.’ 

Any individual who is interested in attending our Referee Courses can register their interest by CLICKING HERE and completing our online Expression of Interest form. 

The course also formed part of our Black History Month events as we look to raise awareness and celebrate those from under-represented backgrounds. Our next event will be on Tuesday 29th October. We will be holding a Q&A session with our panel, which includes some very special guests such as former professional footballer Leroy Rosenior as well as the FA's Diversity & Inclusion Manager, Anwar Uddin. You can sign up for the event by clicking here.