How to become a football referee
With a lifelong love of football, Louise Thompson followed her passion for the game, first as a player and now as a referee. As well as refereeing Fifa and NIFL Premiership matches, she also works for the Irish Football Association as the women's referee pathway officer, recruiting and developing up-and-coming female refs.
Honestly, for me it's one of the most rewarding things I've probably ever done. You find so much more out about yourself that you probably never knew.
Who are you and what is your job role?
Louise Thompson, women's referee pathway officer for the Irish Football Association, international FIFA referee, and PremierLeague referee in Northern Ireland.
What does a women's referee pathway officer do?
Looking after female referees within Northern Ireland, trying to recruit, retain and give them experience within their games to pushthrough into top level refereeing.
What kind of training do you give to aspiring referees?
So from going through recruitment courses first of all, and then we do the beginners course with referees, just giving them all of the Laws of the Game knowledge, then we will also do a practical part of that course where they go onto the pitch and we'll go through scenarios, positioning, things around free kick management for example, other set pieces likecorners, penalty setup, what you do as a referee day to day, even pre match stuff as well, so when you arrive at the grounds, how you check the pitch, check all the equipment is there, how you would interact with players, coaches and then just again, maybe createlike a role play sort of environment so that they know that they're not going totally blind into that sort of situation.
Have you always been passionate about football?
Football was a passion of mine, even when I was younger, primary school age, we just didn't have very many female teams, so it normally meant playing with the boys and the boys teams and stuff up until I was about 14, which was the minimum age here you can join senior ladies football team, which is what I did, and played there for 14 years at a club here locally, including up until the Women's Premiership, so it was great to be involved in football, but I always loved watching football, playing football, anything to do with football, I was always there and interested.
How did you go from playing football to being a referee?
Becoming a referee for me sort of happened by chance to be honest. It was during a game, one time I got an injury, quite a bad injury to my knee and then I had seen luckily that the referee course was being advertised. So I signed up for it, but I also signed up for a coaching course pretty much at the same time, maybe about six weeks apart. I wasn’t really sure which role I wanted to follow, but over that winter I had been pushed into refereeing a wee bit and said sure, why not, I’ll give it a go, it'd be a bit of extra fitness before my season restarts, and then just fell in love with it from there and never looked back.
What subjects did you study at school and university?
Coming through school I always picked PE, so I did my GCSE PE and then I also did A-level PE and then when I went onto university,I had the sport and exercise science as well within that, so I think it gives you a good understanding of obviously how your body works, and your plan and training, stuff like that as well so you know when you're working nutrition wise, things that you need to know,especially as you reach the top level, just to make sure that you're getting the most out of your body.
What are your top tips for becoming a referee?
I would say definitely give it a try for sure. You never know until you do it. I think even when I was a player, I probably never imaginedthat I would be a referee and that I would even achieve and have experienced what I’ve been able to experience. So you never knowuntil you give it a go, but it's also about probably pushing yourself out of your comfort zone, being comfortable with being uncomfortable in situations like that. It's maybe not always as bad as it probably seems it's going to be. There's probably a lot more stigma around being a referee - who wants to be a referee? - but honestly for me, it's one of the most rewarding things I've probably ever done.
Walking out on the pitch at your own national stadium as the referee of a big final… was definitely a pinch-me moment.
How old do you have to be to become a referee?
If you're interested in becoming a referee, it's something you can get involved with from a young age through local referee courses. The minimum age to become a qualified referee varies depending on where in the UK you live:
- England: 14
- Northern Ireland: 14
- Scotland: 16
- Wales: 14 (you can start the course at 13 but can't referee until you're 14)
Referee career fact file
| Name | Louise Thompson |
| Job titles | - Women's referee pathway officer for the Irish Football Association - International Fifa referee - NIFL Premiership referee |
| Job in one sentence | - Women's referee pathway officer = looks after female referees, recruiting and helping them to progress - Referee = oversees football games, making sure the rules are followed |
| Transferrable skills | - People management - Communication - Confidence - Staying calm under pressure - Decision making |
| Career highlights | - Refereeing the Women's Irish Cup final around 11 months after qualifying as a referee - Internationally, getting to be on a Champions League game at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais for Lyon against Benfica. |
What does a women's referee pathway officer do?
In her role as a women's referee pathway officer, Louise oversees new referees right from the initial recruitment courses stage: "We then do the beginners' course with referees, giving them all of the Laws of the Game knowledge," she says. "We also do a hands-on part of that course where they go onto the pitch and we go through different scenarios… exactly what you do as a referee, and day-to-day practical stuff as well… The idea is to give them all the basics and fundamentals before they go into a game so that they're prepared."
Louise's referee career pathway
- Played football from a young age. Joined a senior ladies' football team as soon as she was old enough (aged 14!)
- Studied PE at GCSE and A-level
- Studied Sport and Exercise Science at university
- Continued to play football throughout and got a knee injury. Whilst injured, signed up for a referee course at a local leisure centre and fell in love with it!
- Refereeing for around seven years, and now training future referees too.
What's career progression like for a referee?
All four UK nations have established pathways for referee development and progression. Starting out at grassroots level, it's possible to progress all the way to Fifa!
Louise's first games were youth games: "I still remember my first game to this day," she says. "It was an under-13 game, and I was definitely the most nervous person on the pitch." She explains: "Over time, you'll get mentors who will come and watch you, give you advice, give you feedback" which will help you to progress to higher levels of the game.
Louise's top tips to become a referee
- Give it a try! You never know until you do it
- Push yourself out of your comfort zone. Get comfortable being uncomfortable in situations! Putting yourself out there helps you grow as a person and you find out so much more about yourself that you probably never knew
- Remember how fast the women's game is growing and how many opportunities that brings!
Which school subjects could help me become a referee?
As well as PE, Louise has found that languages are really helpful in this line of work, "especially when you're dealing with a lot of international games and people coming along," she says. "If you can learn some languages, it's very, very useful."
How much does a referee get paid?
What to expect if you want to be a referee
- Referee average salary: Variable depending on the league and standard.
- Referee typical working hours: 36 to 38 hours per week, but it varies. You could work evenings, weekends and bank holidays.
What qualifications do you need to be a referee?
You could get into this role by training with a professional body.
- In England , you can become a referee through a training programme run by the Football Association (FA). You'll need to register with your local County FA and complete the FA Referee Course.
- In Northern Ireland, the Irish FA (IFA) run referee courses. You must register via the IFA Referee Training Portal and complete a two-day Referee Beginner Course.
- In Scotland, the Scottish FA (SFA) manages referee qualifications, which are delivered by the 12 local Referee Associations.
- In Wales, you can start your referee career via the Football Association of Wales (FAW) Referee Award.
Sources: National Careers Service, GOV.UK, FA, IFA, SFA, and FAW.
This information is a guide and is constantly changing. Please check the sources listed for the latest information.
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