Club Referee Registration Steps
Signing up as a Club Referee only takes a few steps but they need to be completed in this order to ensure your registration goes through smoothly.
2. Register with Play Football for free as a Club Referee
3. Sign up to Squadi as a Club Referee to access appointments at your chosen club
Club Referees
How to sign up as a Club Referee
How Club Referees are appointed to matches
Club Referee Match Day Responsibilities
Clubs Managing Club Referees
How clubs appoint Club Referees
How To Sign Up as a Club Referee
To take part in football, there are two key systems you’ll need, both designed to make your experience simple, safe, and connected. The Football Australia registration system is the national platform that everyone must complete. It officially registers you in the game and ensures you’re covered by insurance while on the pitch, so you can play or referee with confidence and access support if it’s ever needed.
Alongside this, Squadi is Football Queensland’s competition management system, and it’s where everything comes to life locally. For Club Referees, it’s especially important, you’ll receive your match appointments, submit results, and manage your payments all in one place. Plus, Squadi keeps you in the loop, letting you follow leagues, grab tickets to major events like Grand Finals, and stay updated on new refereeing opportunities and development pathways.
Play Football Registration Instructions
1. Register on Play Football as QLD Learner
2. Complete Blue Card Check
When reaching the ‘Regulation Details’ page, if you’re over 18 complete your details as normal, entering your Blue Card or Working with Children Check (WWC) details.
You must apply the exemption: If you are aged below 18, please specify under AGE / OTHER, ‘I am under 18 years of age’ as your reason for exemption, then submit your registration.
3. How To Get Support
Should you experience any difficulties in completing this you can reach out to the Play Football Help Desk. Ensure you let them know your FA number – Full name – Date of Birth and what it is you need fixed.
Contact Support
- > Email: support@playfootball.com.au
- > Telephone: 02 8880 7983
- > Hours: Mon-Fri 10am – 9pm AEDT
- > Hours: Saturday & Sunday 10am – 3pm AEDT
After completing your Play Football registration, you will now be fully registered and can now continue to Squadi and register as a club referee.
Squadi Instructions
1. Create Squadi Account or Sign In
Download the Squadi app, from your phone’s app store. The app can be downloaded from the Play Store, or App Store depending on device. You can also access Squadi using a web browser.
New users are required to create a new account by selecting ‘Create User Profile’. If you already have an account, log in with your username and password.
If you’re a new user, click ‘New Participant Registration”. At the bottom of the page, select the option that applies to you.
Complete all profile fields correctly.
2. Select Your Club
Select the club you are signing up to be a club referee at from the drop-down list.
You will now see the Club Referee option, select this and continue.
Tick “membership details” and continue.
3. Complete Additional Details
Complete all additional details, upload your Club Referee Certification Certificate and click “sign up to competition.”
4. Finalise Account Setup
Accept the Terms and Conditions and click ‘finalise’.
Congratulations! You will now get an email confirming your registration, please now contact your relevant club, or Club Referee Coordinator for next steps.
How Club Referees Are Appointed to Competitions
1. Access to Squadi
The Club Referee Coordinator must have access to Squadi. If you do not already have access, ask your Club Secretary to add you as a Web Admin – Referee User.
2. Club Referee Registration Package
All Club Referees must be registered in Squadi to the package ‘2026 Club Referee – Certified.’
Club referees must be registered in the competition before they can be appointed to matches.
3a. Move One Club Referee at a Time Into a Competition
To move your registered Club Referees into a competition there are two options available:
- To Move one person at a time into the competition go to the three dots ‘…’ below the ‘Action’ button and click Edit. This shows you the screen below.
When you click into the Competition / Program the various competition options appear. Click on all competitions you wish this referee to be available to then click ‘SAVE’. This then moves the referee into multiple competitions at once.
3b. Move Multiple Club Referees Into a Competition
- To move multiple referees into a competition for appointment go to the ‘Officials / Officials in Squadi’ – here you will select the competition you wish to move a group of referees into. In the below example we will move them all to ‘Metro Community Juniors.’
Once you have Metro Community Juniors on your screen go to the ‘IMPORT/REPLICATE’ button at the top right of screen.
This will show the ‘Import Referee / Officials’ option.
One you click on ‘REPLICATE’ you can load the Competition ‘2026 Club Referee – Certified’ and all the referees who are registered will populate. Go through and tick the box next to the names you wish to move into the Junior competition. Then click ‘REPLICATE’ to move all selected referees.
4. Adding Referees to Multiple Competitions
If a referee needs to be available in multiple competitions:
> Go to Officials
> Select the Competition Program
(e.g. South Coast Community Juniors)
> This will display all referees registered to that competition.
> Click the three dots (…) next to the referee’s name
> Open their profile to edit
> Under Competition Program, add the additional competitions
> Click Save
This will add the referee to the selected competitions at your club.
Only move referees into appropriate levels of matches.
How Club Referees Are Appointed to Matches
1. Check Club Referees Registration
All Club Referees who have completed the Club Referee certification will register to ‘2026 Club Referee – Certified.’
2. Viewing Matches
Matches become visible in Squadi two days before the match.
For weekend fixtures, matches will usually appear on Thursday.
To view matches:
> Go to Officials
> Select Officials → Officials
> Choose the Competition / Program
> Click Dashboard
This will display the matches scheduled for that week.
Remember to click the green Refresh button to load the fixtures.
Matches will not appear before Thursday unless they are midweek fixtures.
3. Appointing Club Referees
To appoint a referee:
> Locate the match
> Click the three dots (…) on the far right of the match line
> This opens the Appointment box
> Select the referee for the available role:
> Referee
> AR1 (Assistant Referee)
> AR2 (Assistant Referee)
Matches already appointed by Football Queensland referees will appear greyed out and cannot be changed.
After selecting the referee, click save.
4. Publishing the Appointment
Once appointments are completed:
> Click the three dots (…) at the end of the match line
Select Publish
This sends the match card to the referee’s Squadi App.
Referees should always update their availability, as everyone is marked Unavailable by default until they do so.
Club Referee Match Day Responsibilities
Entering Match Results
It is the referee’s responsibility to enter the full-time score on the same day as the match.
To enter results:
> Open the Match Card
> Tap the Referee Card
> Select Timeline +
You can then enter:
> Goals
> Fouls
> Substitutions
Recording a Substitution
> Select Update Lineup
> Enter the minute of the match
> Untick the player coming off
> Tick the player coming on
> Select Done
Once all events are entered:
>Click Verify
The match will then be removed from your schedule.
Entering Match Reports
If a red card is issued:
> The report must be completed before entering the final score.
Referees can submit reports through the Squadi App or by using the online form.
All Red Card and Incident Reports must be lodged on the same day as the match.
If you need help writing a match report click here.
Resources for Referees
All Resources
Send-off Reports
Policies and Guidelines
Competition Regulations & Playing Formats
Referees should review the rules relevant to their competition, including:
> Match duration
> Ball sizes
> Competition-specific rules
Click here to view all competition regulations.
