Blog Series: My Journey as a Junior Referee… PART 1
Part 1: My Motivations as a junior referee and the FA Refereeing Course Why I wanted to become a junior referee… Hi, my name is Lewis and I am 14 years old. I live in Lancashire and play for my local junior grassroots club, Leyland Albion. I’m a long-time Arsenal supporter. Since I first began […]
Age Group Formats
Age Group Formats This article outlines the relevant conditions for the different age group formats, such as ball size, pitch size, goal size, match length and whether the match is ‘competitive’ or not for junior grassroots football. In England, Age groups run as per the school year, so a player born on 1st September would […]
Football Kit, Training Equipment, Goals and Balls
Football Kit, Training Equipment, Goals and Balls In most cases, everything that you need as a grassroots coach to run your team will be provided by your club – including football Kit, Training Equipment, Goals and Balls. Football Kit Your team will need to have the right number of matching kits – shirts, shorts and […]
DBS Checks, First Aid and Safeguarding
DBS Checks, First Aid and Safeguarding DBS Checks, First Aid and Safeguarding are essential and paramount to all grassroots clubs and coaches to ensure compliance with FA guidelines and policies. Every grassroots team has to be compliant with the FA by having all adults involved with children being DBS checked (by the FA) and having […]
Register Your Grassroots Team and Players
Register Your Grassroots Team and Players In order to play matches against other clubs, you’ll need to register your grassroots team and players with an affiliated grassroots football league. Club membership and fees For most grassroots clubs, every player on your team needs to be a member of the club to be allowed to take […]
10 Important Reasons to Become a Referee
10 Important Reasons to Become a Referee Refereeing can be an incredibly rewarding hobby and even a career. To become a referee, all referees start with their FA Referees Course and have the opportunity to progress all the way through the game. There are many good reasons to become a referee for junior grassroots football. Here’s […]
What is a Football Academy?
What is a Football Academy? If you regularly attend junior grassroots football matches, you’ll often hear phrases like “he’s an academy player” or ‘“he used to be at an academy’” or “he should be playing at an academy”’ or “he was released from an academy”. But in case you are wondering what is a Football […]
Running a Grassroots Football Team – The Basics
Running a Grassroots Football Team – The Basics If you’re reading this it’s probably because you have taken on the responsibility of running a grassroots football team. Firstly, well done – whilst it might feel like quite a daunting task, it can also be a very rewarding one, as those of us who have been […]
Your Team Philosophy
Your Team Philosophy One of the first things to consider as a junior grassroots football coach is your team philosophy. It’s worth having a clear idea what it is you want the children you’re coaching, their parents and the coaches (including you) to get out of being involved in your team and making sure all […]
How To Become a Junior Grassroots Referee
How To Become a Junior Grassroots Referee – A Step-by-step process 1. Attend a ‘Get into Refereeing’ Workshop This is the first step for you getting involved with Refereeing; this workshop will give you a brief understanding of your potential new role within the game, and you will actually get the opportunity of making some […]
