The FA requires that you complete one full season as a registered level 7 before you apply for promotion however a lot of Counties overlook this if they feel the referee has potential. Believe it or not you can pick out who will make it and who won't, on the Basic Course quite a lot of the time. I believe that referees should referee a certain number of games in open age before going for promotion and that it should include Sunday morning football, not just Saturdays, as well as taking on the role of Assistant regularly. The current figures of 20 middles and 5 lines encourage referees to put in the minimum effort and then have an unrealistic expectation in terms of progression. Some do their 5 lines, then refuse to do any more. Some referee their 20 middles, then refuse to do any more in case they harm their marks (although a number do this at higher levels as well).