Referee

What, me referee?!! Why not? This really is a critical role; without referees there would be no league football. There are only 17 laws so there isn't that much to take on! It would be fair to say that referring at mini-football level is all about the spirit of the game rather than sticking to the letter of the law.

To referee mini-football and junior matches, you'll need to qualify at the basic level. Various football authorities do this in different ways - some will run weekly courses of 10 three hour sessions or you can probably find a course that is more intensive and run over just a couple of weekends.

If you visit one of the national FA websites listed in the links, you'll find details of courses in your area.

Even if you don't want to referee it is important to have a good grasp of the rules. In youth football it is generally the case that each team has to provide someone as a linesman/assistant referee so this could be a great way of making a contribution.