Building on the success of the referee initiatives launched across the state last year, Football Queensland (FQ) will implement a host of new referee support measures for the 2021 season.

“Football Queensland is proud to be launching a range of new referee initiatives this year to provide even stronger support and development opportunities for our match officials across Queensland,” FQ CEO Robert Cavallucci said.

“We know that the growth of our game is underpinned by the quality and number of referees and coaches which is why we are so committed to increasing the number of referees in our game by improving development opportunities for match officials at all levels.

“With FQ’s significant investment in referees in 2020, it’s fantastic to see registration numbers already 20% higher than they were at this time in 2019, and we’re confident that these additional support measures we have in place across the state will continue to build on this increase in participation levels around Queensland.

“2021 will see the introduction of seven Referee Coach and Development Officers around the state, a buddy system for junior referees and new assessor and mentor ID tags as part of the ‘No Badge, No Bench, No Ref Room’ policy. We’re confident that we are on track to achieve our strategic target of 2,200 referees by 2022.”

“Football Queensland is committed to creating a family culture amongst our referees across the state through the implementation of a range of additional support measures this year,” FQ Senior Manager – State Referees Jacqui Hurford said.

“The recent announcement of the appointment of Referee Coach and Development Officers in seven of our ten zones is a huge boost for our game, and will assist FQ in the recruitment and retention of referees around the state while providing a new level of support to match officials from a local perspective.

“We’re also about to commence a monthly junior online coaching session and are excited to this year launch a buddy system for our junior referees, with more experienced referees acting as mentors to provide guidance and assistance throughout the season.

“To help upskill our instructors, mentors and referees, FQ has recently delivered instructor workshops in Far North and North Queensland, Wide Bay and Central Queensland.

“In line with the ‘No Badge, No Bench, No Ref Room’ policy mandated across all Queensland competitions this year, all referee assessors and mentors have been assigned identification tags to ensure they are registered and hold a valid blue card, supporting the safeguarding children measures currently in place in our game.

“Some of our clubs are also doing great work to support the recruitment and retention of referees, including Caboolture FC who supported 50 of their club referees through a referee course earlier this year.

“As Football Queensland continues to implement additional support measures, we look forward to welcoming more referees to our game from across the state.”

2021 FQ Referee Support Initiatives

Referee Coach and Development Officers in seven zones

Monthly junior online coaching sessions

Buddy system for junior referees

Instructor workshops across regional Queensland

Referee assessor and mentor ID tags