Referees are integral to the game – No Ref = No Game. At Ringwood Town FC we strongly believe that it is of benefit to our youth team players that referees are current players of the game and closer in age to the players.

We also believe it helps our players who want to be referees to expand their knowledge of the laws of the game and be able to apply this in their own matches. It also helps to build confidence and resilience as they will be the person in charge of the game and they are making the decisions (particularly in mini football where there are no assistant referees).

It also enables our older youth players to help our younger players develop as part of the role of the referee is to help the younger players understand the game and why certain decisions are made.

Recruitment and retention of youth referees is an issue in the game due to the unfortunate approach of a minority of coaches, players and parents across all leagues. You will all have attended matches where at some point inappropriate language is used towards referees and may even have said something about decisions yourself in the past.

RESPECT is vitally important and the Club and the FA have a ZERO TOLERANCE approach to abuse of any official and especially our young referees. We have and will ask people to leave the site, stop or abandon games if there is continued abuse of officials. Under the FA rules coaches and managers are NOT ALLOWED to approach youth referees and remonstrate with them.

Please support and encourage our young referees. Any under 18 referee can be clearly identified by a yellow Hants FA armband.

Ringwood Town FC