The Ref Stop

for the love or money

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gaygus91

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Level 5 Referee
how many of us out there can tell the truth did u become a referee for the love off it or just for the money when i referee saturday we get 33 but i only charge 20 and youth games 25 pounds we get but i like to help youth teams out so i charge 0-10 pounds depending where i am as i dont drive so if im local i will not charge but if i have to get the bus i will charge 10 pounds for that game

so all i wanted to know why did u become a referee (money:?:?)
 
The Ref Stop
every ref loves football, that's a default i think

i became a ref to see if i could more than anything as it had been somethng i'd wanted to do for some time. looking back i'm glad i did but wish i'd taken the course a few years earlier when i'd first thought about it.

it wasnt for the money at all (as i had no real clue how much refs got paid) but the money was and still is very much appreciated
 
every ref loves football, that's a default i think

it wasnt for the money at all (as i had no real clue how much refs got paid) but the money was and still is very much appreciated
Pretty much this.
I was a regular supporter frustrated at rubbish referees and though I could do better. I was obviously very much mistaken.

Not sure where I stand on other refs not charging full fee...
1) for me it feels like currying favour for club marks
2) is it not a breach of competition rules? Either not taking, or club not paying
3) not fair on other clubs in the league if they never see the ref that doesn't charge full fee
 
It's also not fair on your refereeing colleagues who actually charge the fee they are entitled to. Given the number of hours a match can take out of your day, it can sometimes result in you earning less than the minimum wage over that time anyway - why undersell yourself by charging even less?
 
Only time I haven't charged a fee was during the probation period. I might knock a bit off for friendlies, otherwise I agree that the full charge is apt.
I got into Refereeing largely because I wanted to see if I was up to it..... 200 games later, I'm not much closer to an answer! Probably because you're only as good as your last game
 
Definitely not in it for the money, however I do always charge and expect the right match fee for my efforts. Where there is a mileage claim and it's a little over a rounded number, I'll round down.
 
I wouldn’t do it for free. Instead I treat it like a job. I work hard at it, do the best I can and ensure that I earn the fee being paid. I keep on top of my admin as that’s expected of me and do my utmost to uphold the standards expected of me my clubs, teams, local FA and most importantly of colleagues.
 
I actually do it for free. In the US, AYSO is a huge youth organization relying entirely on volunteers--coaches, refs, and most other functions. (I believe there are a total of something like 30 employees nationally.) Most referees are parents or older siblings who get trained for the younger games. For the older games, its mostly those of who hung around to support the program after our kids aged out. (I did ref in a league that paid as a kid and may at some point--I'm not at all opposed to refs getting paid, but just haven't got around to doing it anywhere other than AYSO, and I love supporting the program.)
 
I got into it after I gave up playing. Always wanted to try it. Even when playing football for a laugh, I would always want to ref.
 
I always charge the full amount but any friendlies that I do, I give the fee to a local food bank and 1 game a month also goes to charity. This is partly out the goodness of my heart and partly to prove to mum and dad I don’t just do it for the money.
 
I try not to do it for little money but had no choice tonight after losing 2/3rds of my match fee out of my pocket at some point after the game... Shame I couldn't have lost the note that was just 1/3, sods law!
 
Before I embarked on my football refereeing journey I actually believed that referees at grass roots level were only paid travel expenses - just like rugby referees still are so I can certainly say with total honesty that I didn't enter into it for the meagre match fees that I'm paid.

I actually feel very much a part of each match that I officiate in - especially in the middle. Since I'm now too old to play at any level without doing myself an injury, refereeing was an obvious course for me. It allows us to still be very much a part of the game in a physical sense and for that I'll always be grateful. :)
 
Refereeing will never fill the gap of playing or the team element of it. Not even close.

But I did it because I've been involved in football since I was old enough to remember and I always will be because I enjoy it. Would I ref for no money? Absolutely not. I use the money to go out on Saturday night with my Mrs and to enjoy ourselves and to put towards a holiday. But I do enjoy refereeing and the challenge it brings of course.
 
I started refereeing quite late, my only regret is that I didn't take it up at university. Not only would I have earned money, but being on the pitch would have kept me out of the pub so I'd have saved money as well.

When I did take it up it certainly wasn't for the money. If anything it was costing me money, as whilst I was out refereeing every Saturday my team mates were working overtime and earning hundreds of pounds, as I had been previously.
 
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For me, the team element of reffing is one of the main reasons I do it. (All the games I do are a full trio.) But I agree it isn't the same as playing on a team.

I enjoy the team element of refereeing but its not comparable to playing, the team dressing room, going out afterwards etc. Its a very different atmosphere.
 
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