Oxfordshire FA backs Respect the Ref campaign
Respect the Ref is the first part of England Football’s 2021-22 campaign to help people think about their behaviour towards referees.
This campaign is aimed at everyone across football - from players and coaches, to parents and volunteers.
Refs are just like all of us – in love with football!
Nigel Saverton, Oxfordshire FA’s Education, Safeguarding & Referee Support Manager, said "Oxfordshire FA is committed to supporting referees in both their development and their enjoyment of the game.
"There has been a big increase in the number wishing to undertake the course, and we are putting on extra courses to cope with the demand. We are fortunate in Oxfordshire to have a good mix of both young up-and-coming referees and more mature referees.
"Of course, there are times when players and referees may disagree on a decision, but we are all human and referees will always do their best to get things right in the same way players do - even though that three-yard pass goes astray!
"The important thing is that we treat each other with Respect, and hence Oxfordshire FA is proud to support the Respect the Ref.
"We ask all players, spectators and officials to enjoy their football by embracing the Respect the Ref initiative."
Michael Thurlow, Oxfordshire FA’s Football Development Manager, added: “We are proud to support England Football’s ‘Respect the Ref’ initiative. This links in with key messages from respect work we have been doing so far this season. We hope everyone in the Oxfordshire football family can get behind this and help to provide all referees with a positive experience in the game”
You can find more information on the Respect the Ref campaign on the England Football website.
Club referee workshops
To support club referees, last month, Oxfordshire FA ran a series of informal workshops designed to enable people to help their teams in refereeing roles.
You can find details on what was covered in the workshop here.
We will be looking to run another workshop in 2022, so if you interest, please email us at Referees@Oxfordshirefa.com
Want to become a referee?
If you are interested in becoming a referee, make sure you book onto one of our 2022 Referee Courses.