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If the alleged offender(s) pleaded guilty you would not expect to hear anything further.

Depending where you are in the country, but at Level 4 you would normally get a middle or line most Saturdays. Remember also that late appointments take place if another official is unavailable for any reason. On Saturdays when not needed you can indeed take a local appointment if available.

I wore lenses for several seasons as a referee and AR, and rain/snow were never an issue. Good luck!

A trip, or a deliberate kick on the leg of an opponent with no attempt to play the ball? An important difference . . .

I agree, more thinking that the powers that be dont want their poster boys looked at wrong (thats not implying bias, just that these are the ones bringing money in to the league by means of clicks on posts etc which is creating more for sponsorships and, there you have it, sponsorships soar)...

Just remember not to say "swore" during the hearing - use LOTG terminology, i. e. Offensive, Insulting, Abusive.

Red card offence. Not heat of the moment, directed at you, public, ignored request to stop using unacceptable language. The manager may or may not have taken action, but it is likely that the player will be playing next weekend. As @one has said, first instincts are usually right. Next week's...

You were correct to issue the red card in this instance. Many referees at your level have taken to using the Sin Bin approach early in the game for any dissent bordering on O/I/A language . . .

@JamesL answered that one for you last evening. You will find that if you start a thread on here it will end up with several aspects taking on a life of their own. 👈👉☝️👇

With all the checks and balances introduced into the system over the last three seasons, I believe that we are getting better at producing a fair Observation system. Not quite there yet. The regional differences that used to be evident have been eroded (and nearly erased) as shown in the end of...

There is a fine balance in deciding which aspects of a report are able to be appealed. This season, the scope was increased: "Once again, there are two criteria under which a match official may appeal against a report. The first criteria (the observer is incorrect in Law) is unchanged. The...

Some background: When observing, I regularly have to ask/tell match officials not to talk about League averages, pool averages, and/or any reference to their last observation and marks, all of which are immaterial. Observers at 3-6 mark each section of the report against the standards laid down...

An interesting one to "sell" but as the defender pushes the attacker over, a penalty would seem to be a reasonable outcome. Donnaruma and Doku had this in October and it was sorted before play was restarted, if I remember correctly.

The only other levels are in women's football and Futsal, which are also in the FA Handbook.

No. Levels 7 and 6 were to become 5b and 5c, but then that change was postponed/abandoned. 7 and 6 are grassroots, 5 is grassroots with senior status, and at Level 4 the referee deals directly with the FA for appointments, CPD, etc.

Have a look at page 474 of the FA Handbook 2025-6, available online

At that level, there is an expectation that you will be willing to travel a reasonable distance. It is part of the move into semi-professional football.

As a Referee Developer, we tell all newly qualified referees about this issue. Your Referee Development Officer will give you the local information relative to which games are approved in your area (e. g. some short-sided competitions are not sanctioned)

The FA website has this season’s details for you.

As a 4, you advise your availability a month in advance to The FA, covering both weekends and midweek days. Appointments to matches are initially made on a monthly basis, and are subject to additions or changes when circumstances dictate (e. g. FA competition replays) As a Level 4, you will...