THE VOICE OF THE RA

Supporting Referees Since 1908

April/May 2017 The official publication of The Referees Association

MOVING FORWARD TOGETHER

The theme for 2017 is MOVING FORWARD TOGETHER. The RA has a highly productive working relationship
with The FA and together is seeing the relevance of The RA move forward in to a positive and outward looking
association providing something for everyone.
The MEMBERSHIP PROFILE has an age profile from 14 to 99 years, from trainee referees to FA cup finals,
the RA is there every step of the way, and we welcome any positive idea to aid our drive forward.
The RA has seen MORE representative support for referees in trouble mainly for E1/E3 offences this
season than for many years and we will continue to deploy all resources in the support of members.
MORE referees have been supported by the welfare support team than ever before, with a professional
network which has been verified by The FA.
The RA has delivered MORE FA verified Development Hubs this year than in recent years via the Hub
programme. Would your LRA/CRA like to be a hub?
The RA has provided MORE support grants to local RAs to aid their work to enable more effective support
to County Football Associations. Has your LRA made an application?
For the first time in over 20 years the RA will see a POSITIVE GROWTH to build on for future years.
MORE marketing assets for every LRA and media coverage supporting grass roots refereeing than in
recent years.
A high quality content including TRAINING MATERIALS available 24/7/365 via www.the-ra.org
HIGH QUALITY events including the historic Eve of Final Rally, and a development weekend providing
relevant education and development for all.
Supporting newly qualified referees with FREE membership, giving LRAs the tools to nurture talent and
retain membership thus ensuring a positive future with the association.
The RA is moving forward together with a bright future which will be Dynamic Nurturing Assessible to
all. The RA should never be knowingly under sold.
The RA is really providing Something for Everyone and will continue to evolve into an association
that supports ALL members and provides a platform of support and development and give LRAs
the tools to grow and develop for the future sustainability of the association.

Dyna mic Nurtu ring Accessibl e

The Referees Association is run by Referees for the Benefit of Referees
The Referees Association, 1c Bagshaw Close, Ryton on Dunsmore, Warwickshire CV8 3EX
Telephone: 02476 420360 Email: [email protected] Web: www.the-ra.org
www.the-ra.org

MEMBERSHIP HAS
email: [email protected]

@RefsAssociation

/RefereesAssociation

ITS PRIVILEGES
Newly qualified referees enjoy your first
membership year free and enjoy,
Verified FA training materials
Supporting you 24/7/365
The RA will enhance your experience &
Inspire you to achieve your goals
Physiotherapy included
250 local RAs, with monthly
development sessions close to you
Free national events
#movingforwardtogether.
To grow, enhance and maintain high standards
across all areas of refereeing throughout the game.
 Forthcoming
Events 2017
Friday 26th May 2017
Eve of Final Rally
One Great George Street, London

Guest Speaker:
Sir Trevor Brooking
The Emirates FA Cup Final Officials
Referee: Anthony Taylor (Cheshire FA)
Assistant Referees: Gary Beswick (Durham FA) &
Marc Perry (Birmingham FA)
4th Official: Robert Madley (West Riding FA)
Reserve Assistant Referee: Adam Nunn (Wiltshire FA)

Saturday 24th June 2017

AGM and RA Quiz Final
Sports Connexion, Coventry

Saturday 8th Sunday 9th July 2017

RA Development Weekend
Hinckley Island Hotel, Hinckley

For more information on any event, please email

[email protected]
 EVE OF FINAL RALLY
Guest Speaker

SIR
TREVOR
BROOKING
Sir Trevor Brooking, one of the gentleman of football, is highly respected within the game. He made 528
appearances for West Ham United throughout a 17 year career, playing as a cultured attacking midfielder.
During this time he also played for England on 47 occasions.
Sir Trevor won the FA cup twice with West Ham; in 1975 when West Ham contested Fulham at Wembley,
winning 2-0 (with Pat Partridge as referee) and five years later in 1980 when West Ham, then in the old
second division, faced the mighty Arsenal (when George Courtney was the referee). With West Ham being
massive underdogs, they won 1-0 with Sir Trevor scoring the winning goal courtesy of an iconic diving
header.
After retiring from playing, Sir Trevor pursued two successful careers. One with the BBC as a co-
commentator which included providing analysis on Match of the Day and the other in sports administration
and governance, whereby in 1999 he was appointed as Chair of Sport England.
He moved into a career with the Football Association and in 2014 retired from his role as The FAs Director
of Football Development. His time in post included the appointments of Dan Ashworth, Gareth Southgate
and Mark Sampson. Sir Trevor also significantly supported the construction of Englands National Football
Centre (St Georges Park) and his desire and commitment to The FA Skills programme has helped to see
nearly five million places awarded to children since its inception.
We are delighted to be able to welcome Sir Trevor Brooking as our guest speaker this evening and thank
him for attending and supporting Eve of Final Rally 2017.
 OUT AND AROUND THE
REFEREES ASSOCIATIONS
Harry Worrall has no plans to hang up his
whistle after reaching milestone
Harry Worrall may have reached another impressive milestone, but he has no plans to blow the full-time whistle on his
refereeing days.
The 78-year-old from Deansfield has been honoured by the Wolverhampton Referees Association for 50 years sterling
service and is determined to add a few more seasons to his
tally.
Football League official Ray Olivier checked in at The
Clarendon to present the award as Harry joined Alex Hamil
and John Kyte in an exclusive club with 50 years under their
belts.
And Harry is still going strong. He can be found calling the
shots from in the middle or chugging up and down touchlines
across the Black Country in the Midland Junior League,
Wolverhampton Sunday League and Bilston Youth Partnership.
And the old school virtues are still very much on display.
While some modern-day refs relish being in the spotlight,
Harry has always been happy to go unnoticed.
A quiet word here and there and a relaxed approach have served him well over the years, and helps ensure respect
on both sides. I have really enjoyed it, and still do.Thats why I carry on, said Harry. I am not as fit as I used to be, but
I still get around and I have a lot of experience. I have had a bit of stick at times, but nothing major. Its all about man-
management and how you talk to the players. You see the refs on the telly pointing their fingers and shouting come
here to the players. I never did that. I have a quiet word and talk to them in the right manner and sort things out. You
have to talk to them properly to get their respect. I hadnt used to dish many cards out, in fact I havent shown anyone
a card for 20 years. The good refs are the ones that you dont notice.
Harry first got the refereeing bug in English footballs golden year, 1966, when he swapped playing for officiating. I
used to play for Star Aluminium in the Wolverhampton Works League, he said. I played at right-back and then ended
up in goal! Someone mentioned that the league were struggling for referees, so I went along and took the course and
have been refereeing junior football for over 40 years.
Within three seasons I had got my Class One, which was then the top rank. I have really enjoyed it and made some
really good friends over the years. My only regret is that I didnt start at an earlier age. Who knows, I might have got to
the very top if I had done? I intend to carry on as long as I can. I still think I have another two or three seasons left. As
long as I can get up and down the pitch, I will carry on.
Harry has plenty to be proud of during his whistle-blowing days with a day out at Wembley one of the many highlights,
while he also caught an early glimpse of a talented youngster by the name of Wayne Rooney.
I referred the final of a Coca Cola Tournament at Wembley, but I cant remember the teams, said Harry, who also
officiated in a girls tournament in Minnesota as well as numerous local league finals. But I can remember taking charge
of an England Schools game between Wolverhampton and Liverpool and Wayne Rooney played for Liverpool. I checked
the name after the game because he played really well and looked a very good player.
I refereed a Central League game at Wolves and Steve Bull played. He was facing a ban so he had a run out for the
reserves against Peterborough and scored five times. I have had a laugh with him about that a few times over the years,
he said it was the only time he scored five goals in a game.
I was also the ref for former Wolves defender Frank Munros testimonial.
Harry is also a well-known figure around Molineux where he used to help in Wolves press office on match-days. They
used to call me Uncle Fester because I wore a big, long black coat, he joked.
Not surprisingly Wolverhamptons most famous official, Jack Taylor, who took charge of the 1974 World Cup final
between West Germany and Holland, tops Harrys list of best refs with another local ex-Football League man, Alex Hamil,
not far behind. I ran the line in a game once with Alex Hamil on the opposite side and Jack Taylor in the middle, said
Harry. Jack was the best referee I have ever seen, number one for me. I got to know him quite well and he was a really
nice, down to earth bloke. I still havent seen a better ref than him. Alex was very good too, he had the players respect
and treated them with respect too.
Of the modern day officials, Andre Marriner gets a nod of approval from Worrall, but he is not too complimentary
towards the pundits who sit in the studio. I do feel for the refs these days with everything being so analysed, added
Worrall. The pundits annoy me because they sit their in the studio and watch an incident over and over again from
different camera angles and then slaughter the ref. The ref only has a split-second to make a decision. People should
have a go themselves and then they would realise just how difficult a job it is.
Harry joins Alex and John as the exclusive members of the Wolverhampton Referees Associations 50 club and is
proud to be part of an elite group. Its a real honour to receive the award, he said. And I am proud to be a member
of the Wolverhampton RA, its the biggest and best in the country with over 140 members. Quite a few family members
were there to see me receive my award and Ray Olivier was brilliant. It was a nice night and a bit emotional.
WRA chairman Phil Reade was full of praise for his colleagues achievement. Harry is well liked by us all and what
he has done is a marvellous achievement, said Phil. Ray Olivier said when he was on duty at Molineux, Harry always
looked after him. Its unbelievable to still be refereeing at 78. He is one of those refs that says get on with it, its a mans
game. He used to man manage people really well.

JIMMY JOHNSON RECEIVES

COUNTY FA AWARD
Pictured from left to right Sir Geoff Hurst MBE,
Jimmy Johnson and Dave Morrall, the
independent chairman of S & H CFAs Referee
Development Group. Jim was presented with the
Ken Burkinshaw award for Extraordinary service
to Refereeing. The ceremony took place at
Barnsleys Oakwell ground and Jim was one of a
number of award winners in the various
categories. We have to say that we are pleased
to see the County FA showing appreciation of the
work done by referees and other people who
support the game voluntarily giving their own
time selflessly.
We are sure that all those who received
awards were thrilled to have had them presented
by the living legend that is Sir Geoff Hurst MBE,
still the only man to have scored a hat trick in a
world cup final. Ken, as many of you will know was the senior referee examiner at Sheffield & Hallamshire for many years.
I am sure that most of you will remember the dread you felt when you saw him sitting in the examination room waiting for
victims. All referees in Doncaster will have come into contact with Jimmy Johnson at some stage of their career. Jim started
his refereeing career in 1962 after qualifying as a Class 3 referee. He was wise enough to join the Doncaster and District
Referees Society and in 1965 was appointed to the Linesmans list on the North Midland League. He continued to referee
locally and in 1968 was appointed to referee the Sheffield Junior Cup final on the Friday evening and on the day after was also
appointed to referee the DDFA Challenge Cup final. Jim continued to progress through the leagues and in 1969 was appointed
to the referees list on the North Midland league and also appointed to the linesmans list to the Football League. In 1973 Jim
unfortunately had to retire from active refereeing following a road traffic accident. Jim also served as an executive committee
member of Doncaster RS for 32 years. He became Referee Delegate to the DDFA in May 1974, serving on the Doncaster Senior
League Management Committee, DDFA committee and the Referees committee. In 1988 Jim became Referee Appointments
Officer for the DDFA. Jim was also played along with John Chappell in the first DRS team to win the J.B. Holland cup in 1967
at Silverwood Colliery in a team managed by P J Griffiths. We wish Jim a long and happy retirement and can plainly see why
he received this award from Sheffield & Hallamshire CFA.
 The FA Non-League
Finals Day
Wembley Stadium
Sunday 21st May 2017
The Referees Association, working in partnership with
The Football Association, are delighted to announce that
The FA have kindly donated 1000 FREE TICKETS for RA members.
This is an ideal opportunity for all LRAs to support our
Associations theme of Moving Forward Together,
and will enable attendees from every LRA to see two prestige
games in the one day free-of-charge.

There are numerous huge benefits all-round:

Observe one or both games
LRA day out for team bonding
Ideal as a development opportunity
We are providing Something for Everyone
Positive co-operation between The RA and The FA

The application process for LRAs is detailed below:

1. The tickets are strictly for RA Members only, but can include their parents or guardians
2. Detailed Terms and Conditions apply (see below), which must be adhered to in all respects
3. Please only order (by email) the number of tickets which will definitely be used on the day
4. Confirm the name and address to be used for delivery of the tickets, plus contact number/s
5. We will try our best to accommodate all requests, but this will depend on overall demand
6. Tickets will be distributed fairly, but you will understand that no firm guarantees can be given
7. We will pre-advise to you your actual allocation the moment we are in a position to do so
8. Your tickets will then be sent to you about 2 weeks beforehand, once they have been printed
Hopefully that covers everything, but please get in touch with us
via [email protected] if you still have any further questions.
 RA-FA
YOUTH COUNCIL

Referee Development Fund

The 2016-17 season has witnessed the return of the Referee Development Fund to County and Local RAs across the
country.
We have had 5 applications to date from branches in Basingstoke, Bishop Auckland, Middlesborough, Leamington
Spa & Wirral; forecasting to invest over 2000 in County & Local RA projects and events.
Bishop Auckland and Wirral branches have applied to provide financial support for their training and development
issued to their RA members. This is one of the key benefits that the
RA offers to referees and these branches have successfully taken
advantage of the support available. As a result of this investment,
Wirral and Bishop Auckland will engage over 300 referees and RA
members in their development.
Similarly, Basingstoke RA have designed a Development Pathway
Project. Basingstoke RA is a small but growing Local RA in Hampshire.
Basingstoke RA has drastically improved its youth membership figures
over the past 2 years and is looking to provide high quality
development for members through a development group. It is also
hoped to continue to attract new existing referees to become
members of BRA. BRA believe that there is a need and a gap for BRA
to run a development group. This has been branded as a Development
Pathway Project.
Middlesborough RA recently re-launched, which sadly closed a few %

years ago due to lack of interest and numbers. Membership is now % back up and running with membership now at 40
%
plus and increasing monthly. The committee provide training for all levels of referees and also those who are mentors,
%
coaches or observers to the junior members of the branch. Middlesborough RA have a strong partnership with the North
%
Riding County Football Association, which has helped to provide a% mentor for every trainee referee as they start on the
referee ladder. The committee members are committed to making the branch a vibrant and exciting place to be for all
their members. Hence, it was the natural investment choice to make for the Referee Development Fund, we approved
their application earlier this month.
On the subject of Refereeing Mentor Programmes, another project funded through the Referee Development Fund is
Leamington RA, who are launching a Referee Mentoring Programme. Experienced and knowledgeable RA members will
act as mentors to officials identified by the local Referees Secretary. Those referees who are identified as those who could
benefit from the programme will be required to join Leamington RA in order to benefit from the mentoring programme.
This will also see mentees rewarded for their performance in their matches and attendance at RA meetings with
equipment and kit for those who excel in the scheme. At the end of the season, in the final RA meeting, Leamington RA
will hold a celebration evening with all the mentors and mentees where their progress since joining the programme will
be celebrated.
These are just some of the great projects and events going on across England within RAs, we are proactively working
to show case your hard work and commitment via the RA and RA-FA Youth Council please get in touch if there is
anything you require support or wish to celebrate!
 RA-FA
YOUTH COUNCIL
Events
The RA-FA Youth Council has continued to lead on and support all events delivered by the RA for the 2016-17 season;
namely County RA Meeting 2017, Eve of Final Rally 2017 and RA Development Weekend 2017.
The County RA workshop in January 2017 was a successful gathering of County and Local RA committee members
and the RA Board. It was an opportunity for the RA Board and Youth Council to communicate and deliver key messages
based on the theme of Moving Forward Together. Delegates left the event feeling motivated and driven to make even
more of a difference to refereeing within their regions.
We also have two major upcoming events, the first of which is Eve of Final Rally 2017. Taking place before the 2017
FA Cup Final, this is your chance to meet the 2017 FA Emirates Cup Final Match Officials who have been announced as
Referee: Anthony Taylor, Assistant Referees: Gary Beswick and Marc Perry, 4th Official: Robert Madley and Reserve
Assistant Referee: Adam Nunn. You can take part in a high quality development session beforehand. We are also
delighted to be able to announce that our guest speaker for the evening will be Sir Trevor Brooking.
Date: 26th May 2017
Venue: One Great George Street, Westminster
Booking Link: www.participant.co.uk/tra/eveoffinalrally2017

Our second of two major events is the RA Development Weekend 2017. Our Referee Development Weekend is packed
full of activity based around the theme of Risk vs Reward. The Saturday starts with a range of indoor workshops lead by
PGMOL officials and FA staff, followed by a fun team quiz before our Referee Awards Dinner. Sunday sees us go outside
for a host of practical sessions, again lead by our team of high profile tutors. These outdoor practical sessions will be
facilitated and organised by the RA-FA Youth Council, who in the past have delivered a fun and engaging event for all.
Date: 8th - 9th July 2017
Venue: Jury's Inn, Hinckley Island and Leicester Road Football Club
Booking Link: www.participant.co.uk/tra/riskvreward

General / CYCDP / Moving Forward Together

In general, through the support of the RA and the FA, the RA-FA Youth Council has experienced an abundance of change
for the 2016-17 season. We began with a new management structure in the form of a new Chairperson, Adam Davies,
and the appointment of two Vice-Chairpersons, Deryll David and George Lowe.
This new chair structure appointed 9 completely brand new members to the Youth Council; some with experience in
County FA and RA organisations, and others with very little. This new structure provided a fresh and new approach to
the organisation for the 2016-17 season. The dynamic of the group reached new levels of creativity and diversity with
the launch of the redefined CYC Development Programme.
We designed, created and issued a County Youth Council Development Programme Brochure, which was issued to all
Local and County RA Secretaries to promote the work that Youth Councils are doing and to engage young people into
becoming more involved with the RA and the FA; this link is essential to the growth of both organisations. If you would
like a reissue of the brochure, please get in touch with us at [email protected].
As part of the RAs theme of Moving Forward Together, the RA-FA Youth Council are seeking to produce a Youth
Council DNA. This is linked to the RAs Dynamic, Nurturing and Accessible (DNA) scheme and the FAs Referee DNA
scheme. This will provide young referees, RA members and Youth Councils with a clear pathway to making an impact
within their region for referee development. This synergy aims to engage the young referee network and assist with
Moving Forward Together.
 RA-FA
YOUTH COUNCIL

SAFEGUARDING
Please ensure you are extra vigilant regarding your safeguarding procedures. If you have
any concerns, please contact us via [email protected] or [email protected]

The FA has commissioned, together with the NSPCC, a specific Helpline.

Please ensure that ALL of your members are aware of its number: 0800 023 2642
%

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 THE ADVENTURES OF

THE WHISTLING REFEREE

Part 40 The Referees Society

The ball was kicked out of play by the Reds Rovers defender. Over the touchline and down the steep hill. If we were
fortunate the ball at times would stop half way down the hill as it got caught in the bushes but on most occasions the
ball rolled to the bottom of the very steep bank. Unfortunately on several occasions the
situation became even worse as the ball gathered momentum and continued its journey and
rolled into the steam at the bottom of the hill. It felt like this had occurred about fifty times
already during the match and on this occasion the ball did go into the stream.
This again caused a break in the proceedings as we waited for one or maybe two players
who were prepared to retrieve the ball. In fairness to Cockfosters Casuals, they did make the
effort at the start of the season when they brought a very long rod with a net secured at the
end. This lasted for one match when the net broke off and it is now just a long stick with no
net on the end!
One of the Casuals player commented to me that the time added on will be about twenty
minutes. He was not wrong as each time this
happened it took approximately two minutes
for play to restart. I tried to be proactive and
I suggested the substitutes could perhaps assist by standing by the touch
line but both teams preferred to stand on the opposite touch line with
the reason being The sun shines in our eyes if we stand on that side.
The sun had not appeared at all today but I was unable to insist on
where the substitutes stood to watch the game. By my reckoning at the
very least I envisaged twelve minutes to be added on.
Whilst I was waiting I started to think about the forth coming
Referees Society meeting. I always looked forward to the meetings. . .

They meet every month A voice from the back shouted The moral of the story
At the Referees Society Its something I can do Is to make the evenings fun
A chat and a drink I have it all prepared Then members will attend
A guest speaker and some tea Offside the glory years 1958-1962! In all weathers rain and sun

The chairman opens the meeting Willie spoke for hours Enjoy your next society meeting,
To register who is here You couldnt hear a peep
He starts to read the minutes Then Willie looked around the room Regards,
And all the members disappear All the members were asleep Willy Red card Woodwork
The whistling referee.
He says Tonight, a problem Willie rambled on
The guest speaker is not here It really was so boring
Stuck in traffic on the motorway Especially for him
And he may not appear When the chairman started snoring!

The twenty members present Next month a speaker

Looked around the room Hes good, it will be a thriller
Who can do the talk? He is the best on the circuit
Or is it all doom and gloom And his name is Keith Hiller
 Part 46 The two card trick
Match: Cockfosters Casuals -v- Reds Rovers
League: Division Three Sunday Park League (North)
Refs kit: Clean kit with shiny boots

It was one of those incidents that to be honest even baffled me . . . I had already cautioned the Cockfosters Casuals
number ten for simulation about five minutes ago when he again fell to the ground holding his knee. I was situated
about fifteen yards from the incident and in my opinion I did not think any contact had been made. Based on the fact I
had already cautioned the player I knew this was another cautionable offence and this being the players second card
would mean I would also be producing a red card as well.
I informed the player as to why he was being cautioned and duly produced the yellow and then red cards. The player
pleaded his innocence and insisted contact had been made and it was the opponent who should in fact be cautioned.
A number of Casuals players surrounded me and they were all claiming that I had made an error as their player definitely
did not show simulation by diving and that he fell to the ground as contact was made and that a foul had been committed.
The Casuals captain insisted that I look at the number tens knee. And there it was . . . I could clearly see the stud marks
on his leg and it did not look very nice!
This got me thinking. . .
Play had not restarted so could I award a direct free kick the other way?
Could I withdraw the yellow and red card?
Could I now caution the defender?
We could just restart but how?
I decided that once cards have been issued that they cannot be withdrawn. This would also show all the players that
I had made a mistake. I knew that when the report was sent to the county football association I would include a covering
letter to explain the circumstances and that hopefully that no further disciplinary action would be taken against the
player concerned.
The player was not happy with my decision but did leave the field of play.
Play continued for the next few minutes and I was hoping that this incident would be the last one before the match
ended. This article has continued for over five years . . . how many more incidents can a referee have in one match!
Well it was no surprise when the next incident occurred. Casuals attacked the Rovers goal and the Casuals player
took a shot. It was no where near the goal and I awarded a goal kick to the Rovers. I intended to be positioned in the
proximity of the half way line to ensure that I had a good view of any holding or pushing. The goal keeper placed the
ball and I began sprinting towards the half way area. I was hoping the goalie might wait for a few seconds for me to
be in position but he decided to take the kick straight away.
If it was any other referee the ball would be kicked high in the sky and land near the half way line as it had done for
the entire match. But no, not this time as the ball hit the back of my shoulder, bounced up in the air, leaving the goal
area and falling at the feet of the Casuals player who kicked the ball straight into the goal. After being congratulated
by his team mates he said, Well done Ref, that was a great assist. That comment caused me further embarrassment.
No offence had been committed and I knew I had to award the goal.
The Rovers players felt I had allowed the goal to make amends for sending off the Casuals player in error. I explained
one decision had nothing to do with the other and I added that the referee was a goal post meaning play just continues
if the ball hits the goal post, corner flag post or the referee. One of the Rovers players said Thats what you are Ref, a
post! I had never been called a post before and even though I felt his comment was worthy of a caution for dissent
I choose to ignore the comment.
Has a player ever called you a post before?
Would you have cautioned the player?
Is it right to conveniently not hear a players comments?
Next time Ill tell the goalie to wait until I reach the half way line before they take the goal kick.
What will happen next time . . . read on!
Regards,
Willy Red card Woodwork
The whistling referee.
 www.
www.the-
www.th
www.t
ww
www.the
www -ra.o
ra.org
ra.or
ra
ra.
Self-Service 24/7/365
On the RA portal there is everything
an LRA needs to function

All forms are downloadable

Support is available 24/7/365

Discussion Board is now open

Training materials

Its simple and relevant to all: www.the-ra.org

The RA Website has seen a huge increase in traffic, and it is now likely that we will need to change provider in order to ensure that its speed
and operational efficiency is maintained the user experience is critical, and we will be seeking a scalable platform.

Should you have any questions, then please use the Discussion Board, where we have a team of tutors and sports scientists ready
to help you.

If you need a claim form for anything, you will find it on the Website.

If you are new to LRA administration, everything is there that you need to get you started.

Our recently-revised Manual of Guidance will give you best practice advice.

If you want training material for your LRA, it is on the Website - all you will need is an internet connection or you can buy a dongle
(around 25)!

We are always looking for high-quality material to share with others.

The new RA advert uses Kinetic topography and will give every tutor
and LRA a dynamic advert which clearly shows the benefits of the RA.

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 Risk v Reward
Referee Development Weekend


'Risk v Reward' is the theme for the 2017 Referee Development Weekend
from The Referees' Association. Join us for a host of training sessions and
development workshops, where we will be looking at a range of key topics
aimed at improving your refereeing toolkit. There are many highlights,
including interactive indoor workshops, the Referee Awards Dinner with
entertainment, a fun-filled team based quiz and a number of practical
outdoor sessions. With a great range of high profile guest speakers,
recognition awards and much more, there is something for everyone. 2017
sees the Development Weekend continue to grow - so we look forward to
seeing you at the event. Highlights this year include:

* High Profile Guest Speakers and Tutors

* Practical Outdoor Training Sessions

* Referee Awards Dinner

* Level Relevant Workshops

* Team Based Quiz

To book, please visit www.participant.co.uk/tra/riskvreward and if you have

any questions, contact [email protected] and the team will respond.
 Getting the message across
The Board are working tirelessly for our members, and we are gaining momentum plus some impressive traction.
To aid the Boards vision and our DNA, we need now to raise the bar in terms of our marketing excellence and
delivery performance. In order to improve our share of the voice and to push the organisation forward, we are
seeking professional people from within our membership who can clearly demonstrate modern thinking and skills
as we evolve an RA that is fully fit for future generations.

Sales & Marketing

Marketing development brand guidelines and On-Brand messaging
Database Work Flow planning
Creative Development (both static media and E-Marketing)
Social Media Creative development including Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook

Apply: [email protected]

Promotional downloads (incl. videos) now available;

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 There is strength to help from the
RA Benevolent Fund
Just been made redundant?

Young family, washing machine broken down?

Unexpected illness and help needed?

Very sick child that needs life-saving surgery in a hospital hundreds of miles away,

and you have to take time off work unpaid?

The RA Benevolent Fund is not just a title. It was set up in 1914 at the outbreak of the 1st World War, when referees
each gave one match fee to start the Fund off. Since then, this Fund has helped thousands of Referees over the years,
and all you have to do in order to enjoy its benefits is to be a Full Member of the Referees Association.

To manage expectations, there has to be a document process (which is also a legal requirement), and yes you will have to
demonstrate a need, but many people have been aided over the years by this support from the RA family.

Tom aged 25 (Midlands) has a young family and works on a zero-hours contract. He hasnt had many hours this
month, and now the washing machine has broken down. A grant from the RA Benevolent Fund of 250 has allowed
Tom to purchase a washing machine and has relieved that family pressure.

Wayne aged 34 has just been made redundant and has a sick child in a London hospital. In view of the considerable
cost of regular visiting from their home in Yorkshire, a grant of 3000 was made.

Sid (aged 55) from the north-west has a serious illness and needed our help to purchase a stair-lift for his disabled
wife. A grant of 2000 made this possible.

The RA Benevolent Fund is open to all Full Members of the Referees Association and is managed by Trustees who
evaluate every application in total confidence and with a great deal of sensitivity and empathy.

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