MORE than 20 students from a Suffolk school spent their Activities Week attending a Referee Course.

Students at Farlingaye High School in Woodbridge were able to elect to take the four-day course with 22 successfully completing the required modules.

Suffolk FA Referee Development Officer Ian Atkins said: “It was a great opportunity to engage with trainee referees in the comfort of their own school.

“The students were able to approach the course in a relaxed and confident manner, learning in a familiar environment surrounded by their peers.

“Tutors were rewarded with friendly, eager and motivated students, refereeing with a smile on their face. They had plenty of practical experience of officiating and covered all the necessary theory including Laws of the Game and online Safeguarding so they can go out and referee with confidence.

“As the course progressed, students built enhanced communication skills through reflection, questioning and offering/receiving constructive feedback as well as assertiveness through the practical training.” 

Ian added he is looking forward to working with the students as they begin their refereeing careers. As part of the Suffolk FA Refereeing support structure he will be appointing their initial games and arranging match day mentorship to enhance their experience and refereeing development.

Farlingaye High School teacher Carl Fitch, who is a Football League official, said: “Over the past four days the students have worked exceptionally hard in passing the initial modules of their referees’ course.

“The Suffolk FA team have tailored a fantastic course which catered for a variety of different learning styles and engaged the students throughout.

“We hope this course will run in future years to create the next generation of young referees in Suffolk.”

Anyone interested in becoming a referee should contact the Suffolk FA Referees' Department by calling 01449 616606 and selecting option 4 or email referees@suffolkfa.com

To find out more about the basic FA referee training course click here

Suffolk Referees are supported by Globex Freight Management Ltd.