Benefits aplenty for aspiring referees says BFRA president Greg Auhl

Many games in the Bathurst District Football junior and senior competitions have gone ahead in 2021 without an official referee, meaning clubs have had to officiate their own games.

The BFRA has no issues attracting new referees, but Auhl highlighted two issues that results in a lack of referees - abuse from players, coaches and match spectators, and people having busy lifestyles.

"Everyone thinks they know the laws of the game, but in reality, very few do," Auhl said.

"For young referees, they sometimes get to the point where it's easier to make some pocket money doing a couple of shifts at Maccas than put up with the rubbish dished out by a small section of the football community.

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"Players make mistakes, and so do referees, so why is it that players get encouraged, even when they make a mistake, but young referees or even older ones get pilloried?"

While abuse from players, coaches and match spectators is an unfortunate circumstances referees may have to endure on the odd occasion, Auhl said there's plenty of benefits to being a referee.

"I think one of the major benefits [in being a referee] is staying engaged with the game and the camaraderie of the refereeing community, not just locally, but further afield," he said.

"Our local branch is a close-knit group of people spanning ages from 13 to nearly 70, with everyone getting on well and supporting each other.

"For me, and I think some of the other senior referees, there is the advantage of helping us to stay fit and healthy, and an interest where we feel we're doing something worthwhile for the community.

"Refereeing, and being part of that community, builds skills in people management and in self-discipline, so it can also provide a useful springboard for later employment."

There's also financial benefits to being a referee, with a centre official that control 90 minute matches being paid up to $60.

"I think the majority of our adult referees don't do it for the financial side of things - there's easier ways to make a dollar. Having said that, particularly for the young referees in our association, there can be significant financial benefits," Auhl said.

"A number of our young referees take the perspective that they'd rather be out at Proctor Park refereeing all weekend than stuck inside a kitchen in a fast food place for hours on end.

"We have had young referees who have started at 14, and by the time they get to 17 have earned enough to buy themselves a car."

Auhl said it's easy for former referees to get back up-to-speed and get involved again.

"I look around many of the teams in Bathurst, and most have a couple of people who have done the course. They could easily get back up-to-speed and in fact we have three previous referees who are in the process of returning to the referee ranks," he said.

"This is fantastic, because as seniors who have maintained their connection to football as players, they can pretty much get straight back into doing senior games. It takes several years and a lot of commitment to build the skills needed for higher level senior games, and it's there where we have a significant shortage."

For people that have never refereed before, they will be required to complete a level four referee course via the Northern NSW website or a face-to-face program.

For the online course, once a person has completed the course, they should make contact with the BFRA.

All referees must be registered through Football NSW, while those over 18 years of age must have a paid Working With Children Check.

Interested referees can contact Auhl on greg@bfra.net.au or 0421 934 549.

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