Becoming a Referee with the MWFRA

Each year the MWFRA trains around 100+ new junior and senior referees who undertake the nationally accredited FFA Level 4 Referee courses. Refereeing is a rewarding and enjoyable pastime which will allow you to actively contribute to improving the standard of local football, develop management and communication skills, and be paid while enjoying football. We look forward to seeing you at a field shortly.

If you have any questions about becoming a referee or the registration process, please contact the MWFRA’s Course Coordinator, Robert Iacono, by emailing [email protected] or our Administration and Appointments Officer, Sigrid Mulherin at [email protected].

To become a Qualified Referee:

  1. Be at least 14 years old on 31 December 2024;
  2. Submit  a completed Laws of the Game Certificate (all new referees) and complete an application form (junior referees only)
  3. Register for and complete the on-line Level 4 referee course ($30 payable to Football Australia)
  4. Attend  practical and theory training sessions
  5. Register to referee and pay the registration, uniform costs ($130.00) through PlayFootball.

 

EXPECTATIONS
As part of this process, you can expect the MWFRA to:

  1. Provide ongoing support through formal practical training sessions and technical information sessions;
  2. Endeavour to mentor all first year juniors on their first or second centre appointment;
  3. Provide you with a Coordinator who will meet endeavour to assist you with refereeing in any way you require. The Junior Vice President will endeavor to attend some of the junior referee games and be available for any questions you may have;
  4. Offer opportunities to progress to higher levels of refereeing such as through higher level local matches, advanced courses or FNSW’s Referee Development Program (subject to referee age, experience and performance).

During the season we expect that you will:

  1. Make yourself available on our appointments system, Dribl, on a weekly basis;
  2. Referee at least 1-2 sessions per week (night game, Saturday morning, Saturday afternoon, Sunday morning). You will need to be available on Saturday and Sunday mornings in order to receive centre referee appointments. Night games and Saturday and Sunday afternoons you will be appointed as Assistant Referee;
  3. Undertake as many games as an Assistant Referee as possible to learn from the senior centre referees;
  4. Attend a training session at least once per month – either a technical session at a General Meeting or a training session at Cromer Park.

 

Steps to Apply – Junior and Senior Referees

PLEASE NOTE: ALL REFEREE COURSES FOR 2024 HAVE BEEN COMPLETED. Complete the online Expression of Interest form and you name will be placed on a waitlist. If further courses are scheduled, you will be notified.

Step 1.  Register for the etrainu site and obtain the FFA’s online Laws of the Game Certificate

This certificate can be obtained by logging in to the Football Australia etrainu site and completing the interactive Laws of the Game workbook and passing an online multiple choice examination.

After you have completed the workbooks, please save a copy of the certificate.

Step 2. Complete the MWFRA Junior Referee Application – Seniors please skip to Step 4.

Junior Referee Application can be found here: 2024 Junior Referee Application – Manly Warringah Football Referees Association (mwfra.org.au

Senior Referees (turning 19 or older in 2024) should send a copy of their LOTG certificate to [email protected]

Step 3. Register with the MWFRA

Please do not attempt to register to referee with the MWFRA until Steps 1-3 have been completed and you have been notified that your application is successful.

  1. Go to www.playfootball.com.au
  2. Click on Coaches, Referees & Volunteers
  3. Enter ‘Manly Warringah Football Referees Association’ as the club and click on the box that appears
  4. Click on ‘Get Started’
  5. Click on Sign in (DO NOT CREATE A NEW ACCOUNT) and use your player log in details to sign in.
  6. Check your personal details
  7. Select Package: 01. MWFRA 1st Year Junior Referee Regis. & Uniform OR 02. MWFRA New Senior Referee Regis & Uniform. Juniors will need to pay the referee registration fees and uniform costs at this stage. The cost is $130.00  payable at the time of registration.
  8. Complete the remainder of the registration including answering the questions regarding uniform size, and bank details. Referees over the age of 18 must have a valid employee Working with Children Check before registration can be accepted. (Please see further notes below)

This must also be completed at least 3 days prior to your first session with the MWFRA.

Step 4. Register for the MWFRA Training Sessions

Information on how to register for these sessions will be provided once Step 2 has been completed

Session dates are as follows:

Course 1 – Monday 19 February (6.00-9.30pm @ Curl Curl Sports Centre) and Sunday 10 March (9.00am-12.00pm @ Cromer Park 4) – NO LONGER AVAILABLE

Course 2 – Tuesday 20 February (6.00-9.00pm @ Cromer Clubhouse) and Saturday 2 March (9.00am – 12.00pm @ Cromer Park 2) – FEMALE ONLY – NO LONGER AVAILABLE

Course 3 – Monday 4 March (6.00 – 9.00pm @ Curl Curl Sports Centre) and Saturday 16 March (9.00am- 12.00pm @ Cromer Park 2) – NO LONGER AVAILABLE

Course 4 – Tuesday 12 March (6.00 – 9.00pm @ Cromer Clubhouse) and Sunday 17 March (9.00am – 12.00pm) @ Cromer Park 4 – NO LONGER AVAILABLE

NEW SESSION

Course 5 – Sunday 17 March (9.00am – 12.00pm @ Cromer Park 5) and Monday 18 March (6.00-9.00pm) @ Cromer Clubhouse

BOTH SESSIONS FOR EACH COURSE MUST BE ATTENDED.

 

Step 5. Complete the on-line Level 4 Theory Course.

Once you have registered for the above sessions you will be given access to the on-line Level 4 Theory Course on etrainu.  This course must be completed at least 3 days prior to attending your first session with the MWFRA.

 

Step 6. Attend Training Sessions

In order for registration with the MWFRA to be approved, all new referees must attend both of the above mentioned sessions with the MWFRA.

Working with Children Check

Referees 18 years and over must have an Employee Working with Children Check (WWCC) before registration can be approved. This is FNSW policy. To obtain a WWCC, apply on-line at ServiceNSW for an Employee WWCC (ie not a volunteer WWCC). Apply for a Working with Children Check (WWCC) | Service NSW. Download the application and visit a ServiceNSW outlet to provide proof of ID and pay the $80 fee. The WWCC lasts for 5 years. Referees without a valid WWCC will not be approved to referee in 2024. If you turn 18 during the season, you must obtain your WWCC as soon as you turn 18.

 

Steps to Apply – Team Referees

Please note that as of 2022 Team Referees must be a registered and playing member of the team. If you are not a playing member of the team, please contact Sigrid Mulherin at [email protected] for further details. All team referees must be turning 19 in 2024.

 

Applying to become a referee takes three simple steps.

Step 1. Register for etrainu and Obtain the FFA’s free online Laws of the Game Certificate.

This certificate can be obtained by logging in to the Football Australia etrainu site and completing the interactive Laws of the Game workbook and passing an online multiple choice examination here.

      1. Start HERE: | Football (playfootball.com.au). This takes you to a registration as NSW Learner. DO NOT SIGN IN – create a new account using an email address that has not previosuly been used on PlayFootball. Once this registration is complete you must wait for a confirmation email from etrainu that you can access the site.
      2. Click here: Football Australia. 
      3. Click on ‘If you are a learner, click here”.  If you have trouble logging in and receive any error message, please contact both etrainu and myself asap
      4. Once logged in ensure that it is the learners details
      5. Scroll down to Learning Tailored for You and click on Referees.
      6. Click on View Courses under Referees.
      7. Click on Enrol under Laws of the Game
      8. Complete the online LOTG

Step 2. Register for a Practical Training session with the MWFRA.

Practical course sessions – you only have to attend 1 of these sessions. The course is labelled Junior Football Match Official (Level 4)

Course 1 – Monday 11 March @ Curl Curl Sports Centre 6.00-9.00pm

Course 2 – Tuesday 19 March @ Cromer Park 6.00 – 9.00pm

Course 3 – Tuesday 26 March @ Cromer Clubhouse 6.00-9.00pm

FINAL COURSE – Course 4 – Wednesday 10 April @ Cromer Clubhouse 6.00-9.00pm

Football Australia now requires all those completing the Level 4 Referee Course to pay $30 to Football Australia when registering for these courses. Once you have completed your session with the MWFRA you will be refunded the $30 registration fee via the MWFRA. Please note that the MWFA pays for team referees to complete the course and for their full uniform.

Step 3. Complete the on-line FNSW Level 4 Referee Course.

Once you have completed the registration for the practical session, you will be given access to the on-line Level 4 Referee course modules on etrainu. These modules must be completed prior to attending the practical training session you have registered for. 

After logging on, click on My Training on the left hand menu and complete the 4 modules associated with this referee course.

Step 4. Register with the MWFRA

Log onto PlayFootball and register to referee.

  1. www.playfootball.com.au
  2. Click on Coaches, Referees & Volunteers
  3. Enter ‘Manly Warringah Football Referees Association’ as the club and click on the box that appears
  4. Click on ‘Get Started’
  5. Click on Sign in (DO NOT CREATE A NEW ACCOUNT) and use your player log in details to sign in.
  6. Check your personal details
  7. Select the package: 03. MWFRA New Team Referee Rego and Uniform
  8. Complete the remainder of the registration including answering the questions regarding uniform size, bank details and the team you are team referee for.

This must be completed 3 days prior to your Practical Training session with the MWFRA.

Step 5. Attend Training Sessions

In order for registration with the MWFRA to be approved, all new team referees must attend the practical training session prior to the commencement of the winter season (April 5).  Referees who do not complete these sessions will not be eligible to referee in 2024.

Questions?

Please don’t hesitate to contact Sigrid Muherin at [email protected] or Rob Iacono at [email protected] with any questions about becoming a referee with the MWFRA.