Friday night: who is reffing the under-12s?
In many junior leagues, the home club finds the referee. Your junior section has eight home games on Saturday. The junior coordinator has a list of local referees, some qualified, some young referees just starting, some parents who help out with the younger age groups where the league allows. Through the week, he texts each one. Some reply at once, some on Friday, one not at all. The under-12s still have nobody on Friday night.
On Saturday, each coach pays their referee in cash from their own pocket or from the team's float and hopes to claim it back. The treasurer receives a pile of scribbled notes at the end of the month, some illegible. Young referees who were paid late or short stop answering the coordinator's texts.
Why getting officials is so fiddly
- Referee availability is gathered by individual text messages.
- The coordinator does not know which referees are qualified or appropriate for which age group without checking notes.
- Confirmations are informal, so a referee can double book with another club.
- Fees differ by age group and are paid in cash on the day.
- There is no record of who reffed which game, so claims and complaints are hard to check.
Which officials may take which games, and the fees payable, are set by your league and governing body. We track them; we do not set them.
What the scramble costs
Games without a qualified referee, where a parent has to step in, which is not what anyone wants. Referees drifting to clubs that pay promptly and treat them well. Young referees, who most leagues are trying hard to keep, giving up after a bad experience of chasing payment. And coaches out of pocket, adding to the list of reasons coaching is hard work.
For the treasurer, cash paid out without receipts is a gap in the accounts at year end.
There is also the question of fairness between referees. When offers go out by text to whoever the coordinator thinks of first, the same few officials get most of the games, and newer referees who need matches to build experience get few. A log that offers games across the pool, within your league's rules, gives everyone a fair chance.
A referee log for your home fixtures
We build a referee log tied to your fixture list and your pool of officials.
- Your referee pool is recorded with contact details, the age groups each may officiate under your league's rules, and how they like to be paid.
- Home fixtures that need an official are listed automatically from the fixture list, with the fee for that age group.
- Games are offered to suitable referees by text or email with a one-tap accept, and a referee sees only games they are eligible for.
- Once accepted, the game is marked as covered, the referee gets a confirmation with pitch and kick-off, and the coach sees who is coming.
- Fees are paid after the game by bank transfer from the club account in a weekly batch, or, if you keep cash, the coach records the cash payment so the treasurer can reconcile.
- The coordinator sees uncovered games at a glance, and the treasurer gets a season record of every official, game and fee.
| Stage | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Finding a referee | Individual texts all week | Game offered to suitable referees at once |
| Confirmation | A thumbs-up message | Accepted in the log, coach notified |
| Payment | Cash from the coach's pocket | Weekly bank transfer or recorded cash |
| Record | Scraps of paper | Season log by game and official |
Match week, reorganised
Fixtures go into the log on Monday and offers go out. By midweek, most games are covered, and the coordinator phones about the one or two left. Referees are paid the following week, the same way every time. The treasurer has one record at the end of the season. Young referees get treated well, which is what keeps them coming back to officiate your games.
Does your referee admin look like this?
- The junior coordinator texts referees individually each week.
- Some home games go without a qualified official.
- Coaches pay referees in cash from their own pockets.
- The treasurer gets a pile of notes at the end of the month.
- Young referees have stopped doing your games.