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How to coordinate football referees

Good referee coordination starts from one current fixture list and ends with a confirmed result. In between, the job is keeping every fixture covered and every official informed, week after week.

Updated 2 minute read6 steps

Know your referee pool

Start with an honest list of every official, the matches they can take, where they can travel and when they are available. Coordinators who plan from memory end up leaning on the same few referees until they stop answering.

  • Name and contact details
  • Divisions or match types they can officiate
  • Venues they can reach
  • Regular availability and known dates away
  • Any club they should not officiate

Assign from the published fixtures

Assign referees against the published fixture programme, never a copy of it. When the assignment list and the fixture list are separate documents, they disagree after the first postponement.

Cover the hardest fixtures first, such as top divisions, known rivalries and remote venues, then fill the rest and spread matches fairly so nobody is overloaded.

Avoid conflicts of interest. A referee should not officiate a team from their own club.

Find and fill gaps every week

Each week, work from one list: fixtures without an official. Set a fixed point, such as three days before match day, after which an unfilled fixture is escalated rather than hoped for.

When a referee drops out, the fixture should show as uncovered straight away instead of waiting for someone to remember.

Give referees what they need

Referees should see their upcoming matches in one list, most urgent first, without searching the whole league programme.

  • Date, kick-off, venue and pitch
  • Both teams and the competition
  • Who to contact if something goes wrong
  • How to record and submit the result

Record the match as it happens

Results are most accurate when they are recorded during the match instead of remembered afterwards. At minimum, take a roll call of the players and record every goal and card with the player involved.

Agree in advance how guest players and missing players are recorded, so disciplinary records stay correct.

Turn reports into results

Ask for the match report straight after the final whistle. The organiser then confirms it or sends it back with a clear request for changes, and only a confirmed report should change the table.

Track outstanding reports. A match that has been played but has no confirmed result is the most common gap in a grassroots league table.

Common questions

What does a football referee coordinator do?

They maintain the pool of officials, assign referees to fixtures, fill gaps when referees drop out, brief officials and make sure match reports come back.

How far in advance should referees be assigned?

As soon as the fixture programme is published, then reviewed every week with a fixed deadline for filling any gaps.

What should a football match report include?

The final score, the players who took part, goals with their scorers and any cards issued, plus anything the organiser needs to know, such as injuries or conduct issues.