Vacancy description
Key Information
- Salary:Per season
- Division:Football Operations
- Location:Home based
- Closing Date:30 July 2025
Develop and inspire the next generation...
Our Refereeing team are excited to be searching for three consultants who will provide operational, developmental, and practical support to Step 5 & 6 referees within a defined region of the National League System, enhancing referee performance, education and retention in line with The FA Refereeing Strategy. To deliver these support services, there will be three (3) roles to ensure we can maintain a high level of service for the Step 5 & 6 competitions.
Role 1: South & West
- Covering: Hellenic League, SW Pool, Midland Pool, Wessex League
- Ideal base: South, Southwest, or Midland's regions
Role 2: South & East
- Covering: Eastern Counties League (ECL), Spartan South Midlands, SCEFL, South Combination, Essex Senior League, Combined Counties League (CCL)
- Ideal base: Southeast, London, Essex, Kent, East Anglia
Role 3: North & Midlands
- Covering: Northeast Pool, North Midlands Pool, Yorkshire Pool, United Counties League (UCL)
- Ideal base: Yorkshire, East Midlands, Northeast or surrounding areas
What You'll Do?
- Act as the primary point of contact for approximately 400 referees within the assigned region.
- Plan and deliver training, education, and development programmes aligned to The FA's frameworks.
- Conduct match day coaching and provide timely, constructive feedback to referees.
- Identify referees with promotion potential and support their progress.
- Deliver regular monthly updates and communications to referees to sustain engagement.
- Provide bespoke support to referees requiring performance improvement.
- Assist in the delivery of seasonal events, including assessments, inductions, and regional support sessions.
- Maintain accurate and up-to-date records of referee interactions, feedback, and development activity.
- Collaborate with the National Referee Manager to ensure consistent delivery of national objectives across all regions.
- Executes additional tasks as required to meet the FA's changing priorities.
- Comply with all company policies and procedures to ensure the highest standards of health, safety, and wellbeing can be maintained.
- As part of the FA's commitment to ensuring a safe environment for everyone in football, every employee will be required to complete a DBS check. The level of the check required will be based on the activity of the specific job role and in line with legislation and government guidance.
What You'll Need?
Essential for the role:
- Experience as a referee, observer, developer, or mentor within the National League System.
- Passion for referee development and a strong understanding of The FA Refereeing Strategy.
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
- Ability to work independently and manage your own schedule.
- Willingness and ability to travel within the assigned region and nationally when required.
- Technological competence (e.g., Zoom, MS Teams, MOAS)
Beneficial to have:
- Previous involvement in referee education or talent identification.
- Experience in delivering CPD or development content.
- Familiarity with Step 5 & 6 leagues within the relevant region.
What's in it for you?
We pride ourselves in offering a competitive rate of pay as well as great opportunities to develop and grow in your role.
We are committed to ensuring everyone can flourish in their roles, and by doing this, we offer top-of-the-range facilities across two core business locations. We have unique office spaces under the arch of the iconic Wembley National Stadium, which is the home of English football. We are also delighted to have a world-class Elite Performance Centre, St. George's Park in Staffordshire which is an exceptional setting to develop and inspire high-performing England teams and leaders.
We are a diverse workplace, aspiring to represent football across the country. The Football Association actively promotes inclusion and diversity, encouraging you to be the best version of yourself at work.
We welcome applications from everyone and are proud to be an equal opportunities employer. If you have any particular requirements in respect of the recruitment or interview process, please mention this during your application.
As part of the FA's commitment to ensuring a safe environment for everyone in football, every employee will be required to complete a DBS check. The level of the check required will be based on the activity of the specific job role and in line with legislation and government guidance.
ABOUT US
The Football Association [The FA] is the not-for-profit governing body of football in England. It is responsible for promoting and developing every level of the game, from grassroots through to the professional game, and generates significant revenue to support investment into English football each year.
The FA oversees England international teams across men’s, women’s, youth and disability football, as well as running the National League System and FA Competitions including the Emirates FA Cup, and the Adobe Women’s FA Cup, and the world-class facilities of Wembley Stadium and St. George’s Park, all with a purpose to inspire positive change through football.
Our game can tackle some of society’s core challenges. It can bring communities together, nationally and locally. It can be a platform for inclusion, ensuring there is a place for all. It can get people active and promote wellbeing often at a time when we need it most. With UEFA EURO 2028 – hosted in the UK and Ireland – on the horizon, we have an incredible opportunity to transform football across the country.
Now is the time to inspire positive change.
We currently work within a hybrid working model whereby the expectation is to work from your contractual location for part of the week, and as and when required by the team. The remaining days can be worked remotely. We will continue to monitor this model, and it may be adjusted in future if deemed necessary.
Your contract with The FA will specify a fixed location of Wembley Stadium or St. George’s Park unless the role is advertised as a homebased contract. The contractual location of this role can be found at the top of this advert on our FA vacancy page.
GROUP STRATEGY
WE HAVE MOVED FOOTBALL FORWARD.
From 2020 - 2024, we have – in collaboration with our key partners – been able to deliver meaningful change across the game.
From winning our first major tournament in over 50 years to delivering thousands of high-quality pitches to the grassroots game.
BUT WE CAN’T STOP NOW - AND WE WON’T.
This new strategy is about doubling down. Our game can tackle some of society’s core challenges. It can bring communities together, nationally and locally.
It can be a platform for inclusion, ensuring there is a place for all. It can get people active and promote wellbeing often at a time when we need it most.
With UEFA EURO 2028 – hosted in the UK and Ireland – on the horizon, we have an incredible opportunity to transform football across the country.
NOW IS THE TIME TO INSPIRE POSITIVE CHANGE.
Our ultimate purpose is to ‘Inspire positive change through football’ – everything we do ultimately ladders up to this end goal.
The 2024-2028 strategy focuses on tackling four long-term strategic challenges that will fulfil this purpose and drive real change across the game, our ‘Game Changer’ objectives.
Underpinning these Game Changers are then four activities and approaches that will enable us to meet challenges head on, our ‘Drivers’.
EDI STRATEGY
Our equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) strategy forms an integral part of our long-term commitment to using our influence across English football to create a game free from discrimination.
A GAME FREE FROM DISCRIMINATION
Our 2024 – 2028 strategy outlines three fundamental pillars for delivering a game free from discrimination – Boosting Representation, Driving Inclusion and Tackling Discrimination.
These pillars ensure that our work uniting communities, improving lives, and inspiring positive change on and off the pitch will remain a core priority for English football for years to come.
We are a diverse workplace, aspiring to represent football across the country. The FA actively promotes inclusion and diversity, encouraging you to be the best version of yourself at work.
We welcome applications from everyone and are proud to be an equal opportunities employer. If you have any particular requirements in respect of the recruitment or interview process, please mention this during your application.
As part of The FA’s commitment to ensuring a safe environment for everyone in football, every employee will be required to complete a DBS check. The level of the check required will be based on the activity of the specific job role and in line with legislation and government guidance.
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