Schools invited to host Football West Level 4 Referee Course

Football West wants to hear from schools who are keen to help their students become qualified referees.

Joseph Banks Secondary College in Banksia Grove is the latest to host the Level 4 Referee Course. The school now has eight Year 10 students from its soccer academy qualified to officiate in the 2023 season.

JBSC Director of Soccer Mark Makhouli said: “The boys in our Year 10 Soccer Academy and Certificate II Sport and Rec are put through their paces by Football West.

“This is our annual partnership where they deliver their excellent refereeing course to our students. This enables our students to gain their Level 4 refereeing qualification.

“These boys are very passionate about football and are keen to help out with refereeing in the next couple of years with our school matches, as well as playing for their own teams.

“We are delighted to have them on our course and hopefully they will be qualified and refereeing very soon.”

The course is open to boys and girls aged 13 and over and takes place in the classroom and on the field.

Football West Referee Coordinator Dave Avison said: “It is great for us to go out to schools like Joseph Banks where the students are keen to do the course because of their love of football.

“One student, Connor Richards, did the course through that school in 2021 and this year he was named Football West Junior Male Referee of the Year at our annual awards night.

“All students who successfully complete the course will receive a full Level 4 Referee qualification and a copy of The Laws of The Game book and be qualified to officiate. So the more schools that get involved, the better, as it’s ideal for producing referees who can officiate on school fixtures and are also eligible for Football West competitions.

“The course takes six hours to complete, and we can tailor it to meet the school’s needs. For example, Joseph Banks did it in one-hour blocks, while Lynwood Senior High School will do it all in one day.”

Schools who are interested in hosting a Level 4 Referee Course should email referees@footballwest.com.au

Meanwhile, Football West has a Level 4 Referee Course running next week. It takes place over two nights at Gibbney Reserve, Maylands – on Tuesday 15 November and Thursday 17 November (6-9pm both nights).

The cost is just $150 and this includes course fee, registration, uniform and equipment.

For full details please click here.