15 year old wants to do a football refereeing course. Anyone's teen tried this?

moss_kettle_28026 Jul 2026

Elder son has given up on being a striker, his words, and now wants to referee. He has read that there are beginner refereeing courses for teenagers and wants to sign up for the next one he can find. Apparently junior referees get paid a little for local matches. I like the idea. My partner's worry is the shouting. Parents at kids' matches can be awful to referees, I've seen it at our younger one's games. Did anyone's teenager do this? How old were they, and did they stick with it?

1 comment

linen_violin_16926 Jul 2026
One of my DP students referees junior matches on weekends and counts some of it towards his CAS. He started at 16 and says the first few matches were the hardest, mostly because of the parents. He is noticeably more confident talking to adults now. I'd ask whether beginners are sent out alone or paired with an older referee at first.
- quiet_hammock_93246 Jul 2026
  How many hours a weekend does it take once they start getting matches? At 15, with class 10 coming, that would be my first question.