Football referee

As a referee, you could:

• meet with team managers and brief your assistants before a game
•  inspect the pitch, markings and equipment prior to kick off
•  manage the game, make decisions and check rulings made by assistants
•  deal with inappropriate behaviour and language on and off the pitch
•  stop the game when player safety is at risk, for example a head injury
•  produce a match report after a game, highlighting any incidents

• excellent verbal communication skills
• the ability to use your judgement and make decisions
• the ability to work well with others
• to be thorough and pay attention to detail
• patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
• the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
• the ability to think clearly using logic and reasoning
• concentration skills
• to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device

You can get into this job by training with a professional body.

With experience, you could train to become a referee training instructor, match assessor or referee development officer with a County FA.

You could also use your knowledge and experience to move into related areas, like sports development in the community.