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1.
Acceptance or otherwise of appointments MUST be notified by email to the Referee Appointments Secretary within 7 days of
receipt.
2.
Your open dates are appreciated at all times. A phone call may often help fill a vacancy at weekends.
3.
Referees and Assistant Referees MUST acknowledge receipt of match details to the home club, to be received at least three days
before the match. Officials MUST travel together when unless permission granted by the Referee Appointments Secretary. Failure to
do so will affect your entitlement to receive travelling expenses.
4.
The Referee Appointments Secretary shall have the power in case of emergency to appoint a Referee to officiate in a League game
whose name may not be on the official lists.
5.
In inclement weather when there are doubts about the game being played Referees and Assistant Referees must ensure that the
home club know how to contact them and/or make contact with the home club before travelling.
6.
All games in the United Counties League MUST BE OF 90 MINUTES DURATION. The half time interval will be of 10 minutes
duration unless agreed by the Match Referee.
7.
Where cases of misconduct arise concerning players of Clubs who are members of the FA (marked with an asterisk * in Club
details) copies of the reports must be forwarded to: The Football Association, Wembley Stadium, PO Box 1966, London SW1P 9EQ.
Reports of sending off offences must be sent to the County FA to which the club is affiliated. Assistant Referees officiating in games
where full member clubs of the FA are taking part must also send copies of reports for sending off offences to the County FA
concerned. In the event of a caution a report should be prepared and retained in case of an appeal by the player. There is no need
to submit this initially.
8.
Match Report Cards (to include either Assistant Referees or Club Assistant Referees marks as appropriate, a note of any cautions
or sendings off and a hospitality mark out of ten) MUST be sent to the League Office WITHIN 3 DAYS OF THE MATCH. Remember
that the fair play award, the hospitality award and the Club Assistant Referee award depend entirely on your co-operation.
9.
Referees and Assistant Referees must report to the home club at least 60 minutes before the kick off.
10.
Referees must order matches to commence at the appointed time and must report ALL rule infringements to the the League.
11.
Referees and Assistant Referees must wear black kit when officiating on the UCL and should always wear the League badge.
12.
Referees MUST complete the Club Misconduct Notification Form before leaving the ground after each match. A copy of this form
should also be sent to the league unless the information is being provided on the match report card in paragraph 8. The provision of
this information for Clubs and the League does not replace the requirements in paragraph 7 to report all misconduct to the
appropriate County FA.
Pitch Inspections
Each Club must take every precaution to ensure that its ground is in a fit playing condition. Except in exceptional circumstances the following
procedure will apply:
The home Club must
select a Referee listed at Level 5 or above to make the pitch inspection. If the match Referee is local to the
ground then he / she should be called in to make the decision. Best practise not to have the same match official inspect in two
consecutive fixtures.
The time of any pitch inspections should take account of the travelling distance to be travelled by the opponents
In the event of a pitch inspection being required, the home Club should advise their opponents in advance of this fact, and ensure
that they have appropriate telephone numbers that can be used to contact their opponents on the day of the match
When carrying out a pitch inspection, seek to wear suitable footwear so that you can make as accurate an assessment of the
playing surface as it would be in a game… get your football boots on if you can. In addition,
Be positive in your approach to people who are seeking your opinion and show a degree of empathy if the game cannot go ahead,
especially if others disagree
If the game can go ahead, ensure you remind all those concerned that if for some reason things do change that cause you a real
concern for the safety of players and yourself… you do reserve the right to reverse your decision to preserve the safety of the
players and yourself
For matches to be played on a Saturday, any pitch inspection MUST take place on the day of the game. For midweek fixtures, pitch
inspections should not take place more than 24 hours before the scheduled kick off time.
The Referee who is making the inspection should consider the following:
Whether or not the ground (playing area) is dangerous (e.g. ice / frost)
Inspect all areas of the field of play but pay specific attention to areas of high traffic ie: goal/penalty areas, the central third of the
pitch from goal to goal/penalty area to penalty area… this is where the majority of the game will be played.
Whether or not that the spectator standing areas are dangerous (e.g. ice / frost)
Whether or not conditions are or could turn farcical. A ball should be used to determine whether the surface is playable (for
movement and bounce)
The existing condition of the playing surface in conjunction with the prevailing weather conditions as previously confirmed with the
local weather authority
In the event of fog check with the local weather authority re possible clearance, also bearing in mind the visitors travelling
arrangements if the fog is known to be widespread. If fog is the problem then the match referee should also consider whether or not
the paying spectators would be able to view the whole area of play
The views of the Home Club Groundsman in terms of local knowledge and draining capabilities in the event of standing water
The manpower available to the Home Club to carry out any necessary work
The time the visiting Club are due to commence their journey
If the inspecting Referee is not the match Referee, then he / she should, if possible:
NOTES FOR REFEREES AND ASSISTANT REFEREES