The FA introduces new grassroots refereeing strategy to inspire next generation of referees in England

The FA has announced a new three-year strategy to improve refereeing at grassroots level and inspire the next generation of referees in England.

The plan, which will be known as 'To Grow, Guide and Govern' - and will be deployed from grassroots to elite level - is made up of four key goals, with the overall aim of ensuring "the game is officiated at the highest possible standards and refereeing thrives both now, and in the future."

Those goals are as follows:

• Making refereeing an attractive career choice - Halving the time it takes to reach the top levels and providing slicker, easier admin via one system across the game.
• Improving referee experience - Introducing new rewards & recognition and the implementation of behavioural change initiatives, including the trial of bodycams for grassroots referees.
• Making refereeing more inclusive - A commitment to a 50% increase in referees from historically under-represented communities and a 50% increase of female referees.
• Enhancing referee performance and development - Tripling online resources and training and doubling investment in our development system.

The strategy also "commits to ensuring the safety and continued enjoyment of referees at all levels by reducing abuse and making referees feel truly valued on and off the pitch."

This comes after Sky Sports News examined more than 600 grassroots incident reports from the 2022/23 season to April 2023 and found over 600 bans and/or fines had been issued in the game last season for refereeing related incidents including abuse, racism, assault, threatening behaviour, sexism and homophobia.

A total of 295 of those bans and/or fines relate to assault, attempted assault or threatening behaviour.

From next season, points deductions are to be introduced in the grassroots game if players or coaches commit repeated offences of serious misconduct. The strategy also states bodycam trials will continue across 2023/24.

FA chief executive Mark Bullingham said: "Referees are the lifeblood of our game, so this new strategy is critical to attracting and retaining our match officials. We need to create a safe, inclusive and enjoyable environment for referees at all levels and to offer strong support throughout their career.

"The strategy also outlines our targets and positive action programmes that will further diversify the referee and match official community.

"Critically, we have also halved the time it takes to progress to the top of the game, to increase its attractiveness as a career choice."

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FA to recruit and retain 1000 diverse refs

Meanwhile, as part of the strategy, the FA has unveiled ambitious new plans to recruit and retain 1,000 new referees from diverse backgrounds in the next three years in the hope of drastically changing the culture of grassroots football.

The aim is to encourage more people from under-represented communities to consider getting involved in football and refereeing.

While the Professional Game Match Officials Ltd (PGMOL) organises referees and assistants at the elite level, it is nonetheless supportive of this new FA initiative, in the hope that more black and South Asian referees will make it into the professional game in future.

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