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RA NEWS- FA Referees Committee -Task force into the recruitment and retention of referees
Mindful of the problems all counties, and indeed all countries, face recruiting and retaining referees the FA Referees Committee recently approved my proposal to establish a Task Force to look into this important area of the game. The composition and Terms of Reference of this Task Force are shown below.
We had our first meeting last week and I was delighted with the response from the members to my challenge that we should be bold and positive in our thoughts (‘blue sky’ or ‘out of the box’ thinking in modern jargon!). We are very keen to do something concrete and to take advantage of a number of timely other initiatives not least the introduction of Referee Development Officers and the Brian Barwick led ‘respect’ campaign.
The Task force hopes to produce a number of ideas and recommendations which can be used at all levels of the game and we would really welcome your personal and your county’s input at this early stage.
We all know the problems so what we would really like to hear from you are possible solutions, strategies, changes or anything which you think might help recruit more officials and help keep more of those we already have.
So please SEND US YOUR IDEAS - the more innovative, different or controversial the better! Please send all thoughts, ideas and suggestions to: Ian Blanchard, Head of National Referee Development, The FA, 25 Soho Square, London W1D 4FA or e mail them to him at Ian.Blanchard@TheFA.com (and copy me in on dre@h1.org.uk) Very many thanks in advance for your help in this key initiative.
David Elleray - Chair FA Referee Recruitment and Retention Task Force
Task force into the recruitment and retention of referees composition: David Elleray - Vice Chairman, FA Referees Committee, UEFA Referees Committee, RAE Hon. President, Ray Lewis -Chair FA Referees Committee, Chair of Surrey CFA, Arthur Smith - FA Referees Committee, RA/RAE Operations Officer, Peter Jackson- FA Referees Committee, Chair Sheffield & Hallam FA Referees Committee, Neale Barry - FA Head of Senior Referee Development, Ian Blanchard - FA Head of National Referee Development Paul Morrison - CEO Devon County FA, David Burgess - CEO Lancashire County FA, Martin Head - County Secretary Suffolk County FA,
Terms of Reference: The prime role of the task force will be to: 1) Establish current and recent trends in referee numbers, recruitment and retention, 2) Assess the impact on referee recruitment and retention of a variety of factors including: CRB and CPT requirements, Lifestyle changes, Growth of midweek, small sided football, 3) Televised football, 4) Identify ways in which recruitment can be increased, 5) Identify ways in which retention can be improved
Within these broad criteria the task force will focus on:
1) Different geographical areas, 2) Young referees 3) Female referees, 4) Referees from ethnic backgrounds, 5) Former professional players. To establish a clear picture and determine possible future strategies the task force will take account of the views of current referees at all levels
With thanks to ‘Balls’, the magazine of the South Devon RA |
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News from the RAE – taken from the RAE news digest
(With thanks to ‘Balls’, the publication of the South Devon RA)
Membership - The RA Board has confirmed that the premium for the RA Group personal accident Insurance policy will remain at £4 per member for the forthcoming membership year. Subscriptions for the membership year commencing 1st April 2008, including the Group Personal Accident Insurance Premium will therefore be £15 per full member (up to the age of 75). Membership renewal forms can be downloaded from the RA website and will be distributed to branch Secretaries with the minutes of the February RAE Board meeting. Members are reminded that subscription must be received at RA Head Office by 31st May; otherwise RA group personal accident Insurance scheme cover cannot be continued until your subscription has been received at Head Office. Task Force - The FA Referees Committee has established a Recruitment and Retention Task Force under David Elleray’s chairmanship. Readers are invited to send any thoughts, ideas and suggestions for possible solutions, strategies, changes in policy or anything which you think might help recruit and retain officials to: Ian Blanchard, Head of National Referee Development, The FA, 25 Soho Square, London W1D 4FA or Ian.Blanchard@TheFA.com to enable the Task Force to make suggestions and recommendations which can be used at all levels of the game. F&GP have recently compiled a report on the recruitment and retention of our members and a copy of this report has been sent to the Task Force. RA website - This is proving to be very popular with a large number of hits. Information is being constantly updated by our editorial team and the password secure area, where minutes and forms can be down appears to be working well. There was a problem which resulted with the website being unavailable for a few days, this has now been resolved and we thank Steve Ashby (Coventry RA), for the tremendous amount of work which he undertook to ensure that it was online again as soon as possible. We apologise for any inconvenience that may have been caused while it was off line. For the latest news Surf to : www.footballreferee.org Cameras - If you are concerned about someone photographing or filming a match that you are refereeing which involves children or young people, please alert an official of the home club. It is their responsibility to manage situations off the field of play which may give cause for concern, not yours. Guidance notes on this subject can be downloaded from www.thefa.com/footballsafe/filming It is suggested that all members should familiarise themselves with these guidelines. Membership numbers - There were 9,430 members recorded at Head Office on 30th November 2007, 69 less than on 30th November 2006 and just less than 80% of the 11,829 recorded on 31st March 2007.
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News from the National RAE
(With thanks to Balls’, March edition, the magazine of our colleagues from South Devon)
Membership -There were 11,081 members recorded at Head Office on 31st January 2008. 94.852% of (or 602 less than) the recorded membership of 11,683 on 31st January 2007, · 93.68% of (or 748 less than) the recorded membership of 11,829 on 31st March 2007. Approximately 45% of the number of Referees registered with the FA. The Board issued a Manual of guidance in June 2005 which was distributed to all County RA & local branch secretaries. The manual contains useful information such as Child Protection guidance, guidance to members following an assault, and guidance to members who are asked to attend a Disciplinary commission. Updated pages have been issued and the entire manual can be accessed within the secure area of the RA website. Following requests from members’ additional guidance is being prepared for inclusion on such topics as What to do when charged by County FA or by The FA, What to do when charged under FA Child Protection regulations, What to do when contacted by the Police, What to do when called to attend Court. There is a vast amount of experience within our membership and members with suggestions for content of existing items or suggestions for additional items are requested to contact Head Office.
Board members give freely of their time but acknowledge that their expertise is limited. Within our Association there are many members with business and organisational expertise that the members of the Board do not possess. Members who are willing and able to assist either the RA board or the RAE Board and their committees are invited to contact Head Office.
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