Football Queensland has a series of initiatives in place to provide support and development opportunities for our match officials across Queensland. These additional support measures continue to build on this steady increase in referee numbers.
Teal Shirt Initiative
The teal shirt initiative encourages respect and support for first year referees, and to assist in providing a welcoming environment for referees who are new to the game.
All registered first year referees wear a teal shirt for matches so that they can be identified as new referees throughout the season.
First Year Registration Pack
FQ has developed a first year referee pack in conjunction with Kappa, for first year referees included in the FQ registration fee.
The pack consists of a uniform (teal shirt, shorts, socks), whistle, flag, book and cards.
Pink Armband Initiative
All registered FQ referees under the age of 18 wear a pink armband during matches so that they can be identified as a minor.
The pink armband is included in the registration pack for first year referees and is free for all match officials.
Referee Coaching & Development Officers
Referee coaching and development officers (RCDOs) have been deployed into each region across the State to assist in the recruitment and retention of referees around the -while providing a new level of support to match officials from a local perspective.
Junior Buddy System
The buddy system for our junior referees connects more experienced referees acting as mentors to provide guidance and assistance throughout the season. This initiative has worked well in South East Queensland and will be rolled out statewide with the assistance of the RCDOs in each region.
No Badge, No Bench, No Ref Room
‘No Badge, No Bench, No Ref Room’ policy mandated across all Queensland competitions ensures that all referee assessors and mentors are provided with identification tags to ensure they are registered and hold a valid blue card.
