A&H

After the course into practical unit

M

MKAhmad

Active Member
Level 6 Referee
Hi all,

Just in the middle of my course right now.

Was just wondering a few things after the course and into my practical unit.
Firstly, do the FA (northans) provide me the kit or do I need to buy it before my games.
Secondly, do the FA assign me my praxtical fixtures or do I have to organise them my self. Already have contacted two youth league (I'm under 16) ready to start as soon as possible in my practical assessment. Was this the right thing to do.

Any other advice for the practical unit is welcome!

Cheers
 
The Referee Store
Welcome and GL on the course - hope you enjoy refereeing.

You will need to buy your kit - for your practical games you can get away with any black shirt/short/socks. After that you'll want to be badged in proper kit (at your own cost). This site and A&H have kit.

You will almost certainly have to arrange your own games by contacting local leagues and letting them know your availability (as you've done). Counties usually only provide contact details for leagues and appoint county cup and sometimes local academy matches.
 
Cheers for your quick reply!

With a badged kit, does that have to be bought from the FA them selves? Or can I get a Northants Kit from anywhere?

Cheers
 
Kit = Nike, puma etc. You then buy the badge from the same place and have them sew it on (in the case of A&H). They have all the counties and the FA badge. Will cost you a couple match fees.
 
Just noticed you are 15 - might not have a lot of cash. I have heard people also get kit on eBay.
 
Agree with William, but also, your county will sell you a badge on it's own for around £5 if you find a suitable kit elsewhere and only need the badge.
 
Thanks for the advice, I'll have a search around.

Another question, for the practical games 1. Is it a maximum of 5 games or is it best to get as much experience as possible before he exam? 2. Do you have to tell your FA what games you doing and will someone physically come out and assess you or will they go by the ref marks your awarded?

Cheers again
 
MKAhmad said:
Cheers for your quick reply!

With a badged kit, does that have to be bought from the FA them selves? Or can I get a Northants Kit from anywhere?

Cheers
Click to expand...

You can normally get a badge from your county FA if you want to sew it on yourself.

Some companies, like A&H will do the badging for you if you buy the kit from them. You just select your FA from the drop down list on the kit page (e.g. below)

http://www.referee-equipment.co.uk/...Nike-2016-Short-Sleeved-Kit-with-County-Badge
 
At the risk of bringing down the wrath of some on here, I passed my course in the summer and started ref-Ing in black, badgeless kit that I got for less than a tenner. Having invested in the course, I didn't then want to have to spend a shed load more when I still wasn't sure I'd really "get into it"

But I did, so a badged kit went on my Christmas list, and Father Christmas was kind to me.

For 3 months I ref-ed badge-less, for 3 months "badged," in which time I have had many comments and complaints about my ability as a ref, but no-one has ever commented on my appearance.

Fyi, this is the shirt I bought, first unbadged, and then badged (they will add a badge for six pounds, you select your county FA). I rather like it.

http://www.the-rashop.org/sale/29-p...one_/56-right_side_badge-_none_/60-size-large
 
I think it's different by county for your practical matches. I'm in Surrey and all I had to do was record my 5 matches on a piece of paper and send it in. The exam is scheduled when they have enough people ready - so keep going, the more you ref the better. I had about 12 ish matches under my belt before my exam and I got 49/50 (you didn't ask my score but good opportunity to boast).

hopefully your county has a mentor that can come and watch you and help you - mine didn't though.
 
All responses have helped me out lots! Look forward to getting started in two weeks time.

William what is the exam like? How high is the pass rate and what style is it in? Also may I ask what you dropped one mark on... I'm very competitive and would have been peeved!
 
Exam was a group of people in a room with questions on the screen and paper and pencil answers. High ish pass rate and I think you can retake if fail.

I used Areferee.com a lot to revise. Huge help. I am also hugely competite and the RDO said at the start that nobody has or ever will get 50/50.....he was right! I forget the question I missed to be honest - think it was something where I chose direct free kick vs indirect.

In all seriousness I'm still a very average referee despite being clever on the LoTG....just working at getting better. The experience you gain every match is the key, there will be good matches and bad matches. Looking back I was pretty poor at the start.
 
Right my aim is to get full marks then!! :)

But I'm all seriousness, As long as pass and keep improving as a referee there not that much more you can do .

I've been using areferee since I knew I was doing the course and it had really helped. Does anyone know of anywhere to get practise referee exam papers? I know I'm my education it's easy to find past parts for subjects but I haven't had masses of luck with referee papers.

Cheers
 
I looked for past exams with no luck.

Think some in this forum even responded with a "never mind that, just revise" when I asked. :)
 
@MKAhmad Nigel on the NDYAL will look after you if you contact him. PM me if you need additional info. Nice to see a second new Northants referee on here ;)
 
Cheers tealeaf, if I need help I won't be afraid to ask for it. Gonna do my games in MKDDL purely for travel reasons but as I get older I'll sure check out the NFYAL

Thanks for all the help given and if there's any other advice for me feel free to leave it
 
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Using areferee is a brilliant tool a great learning resource. I took my course in Cambridgeshire but did my exam in Suffolk but the format for the five games were the same. I had to have a record of them, what I could have done better what went well what I need to develop. I ref in Suffolk so I let my RDO know where and where my first 5 games would be so I could be observed. Still waiting on that one! In Suffolk it was out of 40 and I got a question wrong about a throw in and encroachment. But get as many games in as you can, As WilliamD says it is about match experience game management and people skills as much as the LOTG so get reffing. I have now done alot of games which by the middle of April include 2 semi finals of a youth league cup, one semi of a county cup and two lines of a county cup semi final all at youth level which is what I mainly do. If you make you make the effort to get games you will be in the position to turn down those emails texts and phonecalls you get from Thursday onwards.
 
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