Hampshire Football Association is extending a warm invitation to individuals of Asian, Black and Mixed Heritage, aged 14 and above, to join our training program for football referees at King George V Football Complex.

As part of The FA's commitment to addressing the under-representation of Asian, Black and Mixed Heritage referees, more opportunities are accessible now than ever before.

To support football being truly a game for all, FA Refereeing and Hampshire FA are working in partnership to offer bursaries across FA Refereeing Courses at a discounted rate of £40 (instead of £140) for Black, Asian and Mixed Heritage populations of Hampshire, Bournemouth, and the Isle of Wight.

The referee bursary programme will be split into a free community event and a two-part referee course.

Please note, participants can attend the free community event even if individuals cannot make the two-part referee course.

However, the two-part referee course is mandatory that attendees can attend part one (25^th August, 9am – 4pm) and part two (1^st September, 9am – 2pm) of the course. Furthermore, the course developers are now confirmed as Anne-Marie Godfrey and Tunde Adebayo.

It is worth noting that attendees of the 2-part refereeing course will also receive a full refereeing kit.

The 11th August 11:30 pm - 2:00 pm will be the community event (Refreshments, Q&A, presentations and more).

Free Community Event Structure:

11:30 am - 12:00 pm

Registration, refreshments, networking

12:00 pm – 12:30pm

Welcome speech from the Inclusion Advisory Group and Raj Randhawa (FA)

12:30 pm – 13:15 pm

Hampshire FA Benefits of refereeing, pathway and interactive activity  

13:15 pm – 13:45 pm

Q/A and a special guest, set to be announced soon!

13:45 pm – 14:00 pm

Vote of thanks, bursary call to action and closing remarks

The FA Referee Course is designed to equip new referees with the key skills and knowledge they will need to be able to referee grassroots football matches safely and effectively. It is for anyone aged 14 and over who want to referee mini soccer, 9 v 9 and/or 11 v 11 football.

The initiative is aligned with the FA Refereeing Strategy and Hampshire FA Equality, Inclusion and Diversity Strategy 2024-28 which both share the goal of helping to increase referee recruitment from historically underrepresented ethnic communities.

Interested? Be sure to fill out the form below.

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