THE VOICE OF THE RASupporting Referees Since 1908

November 2017 – The official publication of The Referees’ Association

M O V I N G F O R W A R D T O G E T H E R

The Referees’ Association is run by Referees for the Benefit of RefereesThe Referees’ Association, 1c Bagshaw Close, Ryton on Dunsmore, Warwickshire CV8 3EX

Telephone: 02476 420360 Email: contact@the-ra.org Web: www.the-ra.org

Dynamic – Nurturing – Accessible

THE RA MEMBERSHIP IS GROWINGThe RA membership is growing and we are delighted that during the membership year2016/17 we grew by just over 8%. Now in the first month of the current membership yearwe see an increase of 9%. These figures are encouraging but can only been seen as thestart of a recovery and we must all work hard to maintain the momentum that is buildingand the association is certainly a lot more confident.We will be bold in the recruitment and the on-going transformation as we move into anoutward looking association offering far more than “insurance” – we have to forget the“I” word as we reach out to all referees to join The RA.

FREE MEMBERSHIP. . .Free membership for newly qualified Referees is boosting membership levels, however a few CRA’s arenot working efficiently with their County Football Association regarding basic courses.1. Attend the Basic Course 2. County Football Association provide details to LRA/CRA 3. The referee is allocated to closest LRA4. LRA to upload to RAMM’s in the normal manner – for process details please email membership@the-

ra.org The RA and the wider football family expects newly qualified referees to be supported and the RA isplaying its part with a proactive delivery, which entitles newly qualified referees to the full package ofresources. The challenge is to make the “product” – “The meeting” interesting and compelling. Theretention of members is critical to our growth plans. Those LRA’s with a below average retention ratehave been allocated “free members”. The on-going allocation of new referees will be reviewed and futurenew referees will be allocated to proactive LRA’s. Some may say this is harsh, but the relevance and thefuture of the association is paramount, and every LRA now has the tools and the resources to deliver anoutstanding product.

www.the-ra.orgemail: contact@the-ra.org

@RefsAssociation /RefereesAssociation

To grow, enhance and maintain high standards across all areas of refereeing throughout the game.

#movingforwardtogether.

Verified FA training materials Supporting you 24/7/365

The RA will enhance your experience & Inspire you to achieve your goals

Physiotherapy included250 local RA’s, with monthly

development sessions close to youFree national events

Newly qualified referees enjoy your first membership year free and enjoy,

Verified FA training materials Supporting you 24/7/365

The RA will enhance your experience & Inspire you to achieve your goals

Physiotherapy included250 local RA’s, with monthly

development sessions close to youFree national events

MEMBERSHIP HAS ITS PRIVILEGES

13 | P a g e Find us on Twitter @RefsAssociation - Like us on Facebook The Referees Association – read us www.the-ra.org

There is strength to help from the RA Benevolent Fund

Just been made redundant?

Young family, washing machine broken down?

Unexpected illness and help needed?

Very sick child that needs life-saving surgery in a hospital hundreds of miles away,

and you have to take time off work unpaid?

The RA Benevolent Fund is not just a title. It was set up in 1914 at the outbreak of the 1st World War, when referees each gave one match fee to start the Fund off. Since then, this Fund has helped thousands of Referees over the years, and all you have to do in order to enjoy its benefits is to be a Full Member of the Referees’ Association.

To manage expectations, there has to be a document process (which is also a legal requirement), and yes you will have to demonstrate a need, but many people have been aided over the years by this support from the RA family.

Tom aged 25 (Midlands) has a young family and works on a zero-hours contract. He hasn’t had many hours this month, and now the washing machine has broken down. A grant from the RA Benevolent Fund of £250 has allowed Tom to purchase a washing machine and has relieved that family pressure.

Wayne aged 34 has just been made redundant and has a sick child in a London hospital. In view of the considerable cost of regular visiting from their home in Yorkshire, a grant of £3000 was made.

Sid (aged 55) from the north-west has a serious illness and needed our help to purchase a stair-lift for his disabled wife. A grant of £2000 made this possible.

The RA Benevolent Fund is open to all Full Members of the Referees’ Association and is managed by Trustees who evaluate every application in total confidence and with a great deal of sensitivity and empathy.

The RA is delighted to announce that we are now working with two new partners, MIND,the Mental Health Charity and Prostate Cancer UK. See our information sheet and checkout the websites of these two charities. We are actively building our wellbeingprogramme and introducing much more effective sign-posting.

Football to Amsterdam 2018On 1-3 June 2018, two weeks before the World Cup kicks off, hundreds of football fans will unite tocycle 145 miles over two days, finishing at Ajax's Amsterdam ArenA – and you could be one of them.

We are looking at the possibility of entering a team in the Prostate Cancer UK bike ride to Ajax’sAmsterdam Arena. There are two routes to choose from – you can either kick-off from the Lee ValleyVeloPark or start from Barnsley’s Oakwell Stadium. Both routes will take an overnight ferry from Harwichand Hull respectively before converging in Holland on Day Two. Day Two is a flat and scenic ride alongthe Dutch canal paths before finishing at Ajax’s Amsterdam ArenA to celebrate your achievements andget ready for a big night out.

It's an opportunity to meet like-minded people and most importantly raise funds and awareness to beata disease that kills one man every 45 minutes.

Jpegs of the two chartiy adverts, that can be used in LRA newsletters, are available to download fromthe website www.the-ra.org

WELLBEING

OUT AND AROUND THEREFEREES’ ASSOCIATIONS

The West Devon Branch recently held a presentation evening to celebrate the 50 Year Membership awardof Life Vice President Graham Elford. Graham joined the West Devon Branch in 1966 and has been incontinuous membership since. He has held numerous positions within the branch, Assistant Treasurerfor seven years, Vice Chairman eleven years and Chairman for five years. He was elected as Life VicePresident in 1995. He has always promoted the The RA and in particular the West Devon Branch. Thepresentation was carried out by John Harvey, former board member and Western Division EC Secretary.Also in attendance was Peter Willis former RA President.The evening was originally scheduled for two recipients to receive the award, Graham and Tom Miller,but unfortunately Tom was taken ill just prior to the event. He is now recovering and we are lookingforward to another presentation evening event at a later date.

GRAHAM ELFORDOF THE WEST DEVON BRANCH RECEIVES HIS 50 YEARS MEMBERSHIP AWARD

John Harvey presents Graham Elford with his50 years membership award

Neil Jones (Sec), Peter Willis, Graham Elford, John Harveyand Bill Green (Chairman)

PAUL HURSTRECEIVES A PRESENTATION FROM SHREWSBURY RA

Shrewsbury RA made thispresentation to Paul Hurstshortly before the Shrews-bury Town v Bristol Roversgame on 17 October. The presentation of a glasstankard engraved with thelogo of the RA was a bigthank you to Paul for givinghis time and thoughts onrelationships with refereesand the laws of the game inan "open forum" SRAmeeting held in earlyOctober.

STOCKTON RAANNUAL AWARD WINNERS

John Matthews won Stockton RA Referee of the Year for being promoted to Level 2b and alsoofficiating in both semi-finals of the FA Vase and FA Trophy.Matthew Smith won Stockton RA Young Referee of the Year for being promoted to Level 6 andbeing appointed to officiate in both a County Cup Final and also the Teesside Junior LeagueCup Finals.Callum Donnelly won the annual Stockton RA's George Mitchell Quiz. This is a quiz that is heldat Stockton RA's monthly meetings (all questions on Refereeing matters). Callum is one of ourjunior referees so we were delighted he won this prestigious award.

John MatthewsReferee of the Year

Matthew SmithYoung Referee of the Year

Callum DonnellyGeorge Mitchell Quiz winner

Peterborough Referees Association celebrated its 9thYoung Referees Day with a bang as a full day ofactivities took place in and around the city.

Premier League Referee Mike Jones was the starguest visiting five schools, refereeing a primaryschools’ festival and lead speaker at The Fleet whereclose to 200 parents and friends gathered for thelargest young referees event of its kind in the country.

The day started at 10am at Middleton Primary Schoolwhere two classes enjoyed the opportunity of being amatch official under the expert eyes of Mike Jones,Peterborough RA Chairman Rob Windle, Neil Smith,Sarah Grundy and Stewart Francis. Next it was toEyrescroft Primary also in Bretton, the mid morningsession was a Q & A at Queen Katherines Academywhere sports students had the opportunity to gain anincite in being a top flight official. The afternoonsession was at Park Lane Primary School, Whittleseywhere the whole school assembled for a fun sessionwith a selected few dressed for the part. Swiftly ontoSir Harry Smith Community College where morestudents could grill our official. Outside on thesynthetic pitch, four primary schools, Alderman Jacobs,Coates, New Road and Park Lane boys and girls teamsplayed in front of the Mayor, Cllr Ralph Butcher, withMike Jones also taking part and making the crucialdecisions. The final event was the evening session atThe Fleet where referees and parents from fourcounties had expert tuition from top tutors, fun andgames and a presentation from Mike Jones. To cap theevening the certificates awardedto recent courseparticipants were presented as well as other prestigious awards.

Organiser Robert Windle was delighted with the dayand we are very grateful to Mike Jones and theProfessional Game Match Officials Ltd (PGMOL) for afull day of Premier League input, Northamptonshire FAand The Referees Association Youth Council for theirsponsorship which enabled us to have over 800students and referees involved on the day.

A Peterborough RA Young Referee of the seasonJordan Todd

B Peterborough RA Referee of the seasonJames Cliffe

C Peterborough Select Group Referee of the seasonJared Carver

D The Outstanding Contribution to Refereeing AwardRoger Ellison

Photos courtesy of RWT Photography

PETERBOROUGH REFEREES’ ASSOCIATION’S9th Young Referees Day

A

B

C

D

WelfareLooking after our refereeing family is of paramount importance to the Association. Our excellentWelfare team, led by Board Member Lee Markwick, is currently supporting a number of Membersin various ways.

We have significant guidance available within the Members Area of the RA Website (www.the-ra.org), but if you do ever need our help or support, please email us via contact@the-ra.org

Position StatementThe Referees’ Association supports any workable proposal that provides match officials with asafe working environment, and we support The Football Association’s vision “For All”. However,we are aware that match officials are not permitted to use body-cams at present as they will benon-compliant with the Laws of the Game, thus not being compatible with acting as guardiansand implementers of the Laws. Critically, Members should be aware of the very significant legal,safety and safeguarding issues relating to the use of body-cams, which need to be fullyassessed to ensure any risk is minimised.

After a recent incident in Nuneaton and the subsequent sentencing by magistrates inLeamington, there is clearly an issue with sentencing guidelines which needs to be addressed,and we are working on this with the relevant bodies as a matter of urgency.

We call on the football family to work with referees to achieve a positive culture and environmentfor the enjoyment of the game that eliminates any threat of abuse and violence.

3 | P a g e Find us on Twitter @RefsAssociation - Like us on Facebook The Referees Association – read us www.the-ra.org

T

SAFEGUARDING

Please ensure you are extra vigilant regarding your safeguarding procedures. If you have any concerns, please contact us via contact@the-ra.org or safeguarding@thefa.com

The FA has commissioned, together with the NSPCC, a specific Helpline.

Please ensure that ALL of your members are aware of its number: 0800 023 2642

Chairman's Team TalkThe Association’s 2016-17 membership year has just finished, and for the first time in manyyears our overall membership figure has increased. This is mostly due to the product on offernow being relevant to everyone, but we must continue to build on the benefits to our Members.We not only have a very hard-working Board, but also an outstanding network of professionalpeople who can support Members in their time of need.If you can offer experience and expertise in areas such as professional legal support or Unionrepresentation, we would gladly welcome your input. I can also report that that our strategicrelationships within the football family continue to increase – we will be able to share moreoutputs with you once the relevant agreements have been reached as we move forward togetherand grow.

Come and Join the RA BoardThe RA is rapidly growing and moving forward, so if you have a few hours available to bring anholistic business approach to the organisation and/or if you have vision in supporting refereesnationally, come and join us – it’s immensely rewarding. A nomination form is available on theRA website. Listed on the next page are all the RA Committees with their members.

CommunicationsGoing forward, our general communications will be via MailChimp emails with links to ourWebsite and/or social media outputs. This is because we are faced with ever-tougher restrictionson our own email accounts in respect of numbers, sizes and attachments. We will also continueto post documentation on the RA Website at www.the-ra.org and mainly within the MembersOnly section.

Non-LeagueFinals DayFollowing our first Non-League Finals Day backin May 2017, whenaround 800 RAmembers travelled toWembley, we aredelighted that The FAwill be supporting thisinitiative again in 2018,so you and your LRAscan start planning nowfor Sunday 20th May2018.Further updates, andthe application process,will follow in the NewYear.

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NEWS BULLETINSZING PerformanceThe RA has teamed up with ZING, https://www.withzing.com/ and we have produced a promotional video whichwill be released once the on-line portal is complete. This is a unique chance to be part of a study into brainexercises to improve refereeing performance. It will be treated as a “clinical study”, it will be free to 100 committedRA Members, and it will be overseen by a leading University.

Education and DevelopmentWe are working with The FA in the delivery of “Hubs into 2018”, with these being reformatted to reach a biggeraudience. We aim to make further announcements once we have firmed up the roll-out plans with The FA. FromNovember 2017, and working with the FA, we will be uploading training materials for every LRA and individualRA Member which has been produced by The FA. You will be notified of this directly, and it will be found on theMembers Only section of the RA Website www.the-ra.org

QuestThis vital initiative continues to gather strength and, following on from the recent Silver award to Norwich andBronze to Harrow, we are delighted that Stockport has now joined the club.

EventsWe are planning a number of events and new initiatives over the coming months, including a trial test of movingthe location for RA Board Meetings around England, with time being allocated on each occasion to meetingrepresentatives from CRAs and LRAs within the relevant area.

Next year’s AGM will be held on Saturday 21st July 2018 at Sports Connexion in Ryton on Dunsmore. The Eveof Final Rally will be taking place on Friday 18th May 2018, with the location still to be confirmed. Regarding theannual RA Development Weekend, we are in advanced discussions with two potential venues for next year, andthe date will be either Saturday 2nd June or Saturday 9th June 2018 – we will let you have further details andarrangements as soon as possible.

The RA, together withSpencer Hayes, haveproduced the MemberBenefits Brochure for2017/18. Thisdocument will beemailed out to allmembers and isavailable onwww.the-ra.org asa download.

WOLVERHAMPTON REFEREES’ ASSOCIATIONSky Sports Broadcaster Johnny Phillips was last month’s Guest Speaker.

Reproduced here is his article on the visit

Age proves nobarrier forSunday LeagueofficialsIt was a pleasure to speak atthe Wolverhampton Referees’Association on Mondayevening.It is a fantastic organisation that

provides officials in the local leagues,including the Wolverhampton andDistrict Sunday Football League.They proudly boast that all Premier

Division fixtures are covered withassistant referrees too.As a keen Sunday League player

down in London, that is no mean feat.We only get assistants for cup finals.Age appears to be no barrier for the

Wolverhampton RA too.During the minutes of Monday

evening’s meeting, one member –Harry Worrall – stood up and reporteda fact he claimed must come close to aworld record.On Sunday, September 24, when

Hawkins Sports beat AFC Bentley 3-2in the Premiere Division, the officialswere made up of assistants 79-year-old Harry, 72-year-old Terry Connollyand referee Bill Turley, who is a mere68.That’s a combined age for the three

officials of 219 years.It goes without saying that they are

all experienced officials, althoughHarry confirmed he would only bedoing the youth leagues going forward.Without these dedicated servants to

the game, there would be no amateurfootball at weekends.It was great to see the organisation

flourishing, with well over 150members.Monday night’s function room at The

Clarendon was packed with plenty ofyoung members too, so hopefullyWolverhampton’s amateur football is ingood hands in the future too.

7 | P a g e Find us on Twitter @RefsAssociation - Like us on Facebook The Referees Association – read us www.the-ra.org

a

www.wwwwwwwww.thewww.twww.thwww.the--ra.orgrrara.ra.ora.orra.org

The RA Website has seen a huge increase in traffic, and it is now likely that we will need to change provider in order to ensure that its speed and operational efficiency is maintained – the user experience is critical, and we will be seeking a “scalable” platform.

Should you have any questions, then please use the Discussion Board, where we have a team of tutors and sports scientists ready to help you.

If you need a claim form for anything, you will find it on the Website.

If you are new to LRA administration, everything is there that you need to get you started.

Our recently-revised Manual of Guidance will give you “best practice” advice.

If you want training material for your LRA, it is on the Website - all you will need is an internet connection or you can buy a dongle (around £25)!

We are always looking for high-quality material to share with others.

Self-Service – 24/7/365 On the RA portal there is everything

an LRA needs to function

All forms are downloadable

Support is available 24/7/365

Discussion Board is now open

Training materials It’s simple and relevant to all: www.the-ra.org

The new RA advert uses Kinetic topography and will give every tutor and LRA a dynamic advert which clearly shows the benefits of the RA.