Match Officials - Registration and Accreditation

There are two distinct processes to be able to officiate in matches in Australia. Annual or seasonal registration with FFA through an FFA-recognised referee group (including Member Federation) and four-yearly accreditation as either a referee, assessor or instructor.

There are two distinct processes to be able to officiate in matches in Australia.

Annual or seasonal registration with FFA through an FFA-recognised referee group (including Member Federation) and four-yearly accreditation as either a referee, assessor or instructor.

Registration as a Match Official Registration as a match official is completed on an annual or seasonal basis in accordance with FFA-s National Registration Regulations. You are therefore registering with FFA as a match official.

In 2011 this should be done by either completing the FFA NRR10 “Application for Registration of a Match Official” form or by using the MyFootballClub online registration system. (Please refer to your refereeing branch or Member Federation to determine which approach they will be using this year).

FFA does not charge an annual National Registration Fee for match officials.

Accreditation as a Match Official In 2007, FFA established a formal structure of match official accreditation under the Australian Sports Commission-s (ASC) National Officiating Accreditation Scheme (NOAS), which covers referees, assessors and instructors.

This accreditation needs to be renewed every four years, much like a drivers licence needs to be renewed periodically.

In November 2010, FFA communicated that an accreditation fee of $22 (inc GST) will now be paid when you attend an NOAS-accredited course or when you renew your accreditation as a referee.

This accreditation process and fee is similar to what coaches have been doing for many years when they attend a coaching course and will be invested into the delivery of initiatives within the National Refereeing Strategy. In the majority of cases a referee will only pay this fee once every four years.

It is important to note that a match official must be registered with FFA and accredited by FFA before he or she can officiate in a match.

A copy of the Australian Officiating Development Schedule (AODS) which outlines FFA-s match official courses as well as the process and requirements for renewing accreditation can be found in the Resources section.

If you have any questions about registration or accreditation please contact your State Referee Coach or Member Federation office.