The Pros and Cons of Becoming a Referee

It’s fair to say that elite-level football and competitions such as the Premier League don’t necessarily provide the best advert for becoming a referee, whether you consider the abuse aimed at officials and the pressure on every single decision that they make.

You could argue that working as a referee at a grassroots level is even more problematic, but the fact is that this can be a rewarding career with several unforeseen perks.

In this post, we’ll consider the pros and cons of becoming a referee, as we look to determine whether or not this job is right for you.

Evaluating the Pros

You can start out as a referee at any time, with ‘youth’ referees categorized as those who start out at the age of 14 or 15 and achieve Level 7 on their 16th birthday. But what are the primary and universal benefits of choosing this as a career path?

#1. It Provides an Alternative Route Into Football: There’s a tendency to see leagues like the EPL as a closed shop, with the associated jobs reserved for those who have previously played at the highest level. However, refereeing from a young age and at a grassroots level provides an alternative route to the higher levels of the game, including professional competitions in the EFL.

#2. There’s the Opportunity to Travel: Depending on the level at which you referee, you may also have the opportunity to travel to different parts of the world during the course of your day job. The costs of this travel will largely be covered too, while you can learn a number of critical life skills (including communication and alternative languages) while travelling across the globe.

#3. The Job Role is Deceptively Well-Paid: While refereeing isn’t seen as a particularly lucrative pastime, this is usually when compared to playing and management roles. In fact, referees can earn as much as £65,000 per season (plus match fees and expenses) when operating in the Premier League, while those officiating in UEFA and FIFA competitions can earn considerably more. So, there’s definitely something for referees to aspire to over time.

OK, So What About the Cons?

As we can see, there are a number of reasons to consider starting a career as a football referee, particularly when you consider the potential for progression and the endless opportunities to travel.

In order to create a more balanced view, however, it’s important to consider the potential disadvantages of working as a referee. Here are some of the most pressing to keep in mind:

#1. Refereeing Can be Lonely When Starting Out: The occasional necessity to travel can be challenging for both footballers and referees, but the former have the comfort of operating together as a team. In the case of referees, however, they often have to travel and work by themselves, making it something of a lonely and isolating job role (especially when starting out). Make no mistake; this can be particularly challenging if you have a young family, so you’ll need to factor this into your final career decision.

#2. Referees Can Experience Abuse: As we’ve already touched on, even referees at the highest level can face unacceptable abuse from players. From Didier Drogba’s post-match meltdown after the UCL semi-final defeat to Barcelona in 2009 to Roy Keane’s infamous haranguing of officials, referees often have to embrace sustained criticism and need broad shoulders to deal with this effectively and professionally. This may also be a constant issue that needs to be managed carefully over time.

#3. It’s a Job That Requires Sustained Fitness: Of course, referees also have to maintain a good level of physical fitness, especially when officiating matches at a professional level. While this may be seen as a benefit for natural fitness enthusiasts, however, it creates an additional responsibility and one that some may struggle to cope with over an extended period of time. So, we’d recommend working on your fitness, conditioning and stamina if you want to seriously pursue a career as a referee.