15/11/2021: Clubs asked to assist efforts to increase number of referees
(List of Referees - click here for referee contact information)
As most clubs will be aware, the shortage of available referees has been creating considerable difficulties across all levels of junior football in recent times, with the problems becoming particularly acute since football resumed after the Covid-19 enforced closedowns.
So far, the Fixtures Secretary has managed to keep the UCFL’s fixtures schedule on track, but only with significant co operation from referees and teams, many of which have shown flexibility when required to ensure games are played.
However, realistically, a more reliable solution to this problem can only come by increasing the number of referees. One of a number of initiatives being promoted by the FAI is to ask each club to provide a referee, most likely a former player or perhaps a current player considering retirement from playing in the near future.
The UCFL would like to support this idea and we are encouraging each of our clubs to think of and speak to potential candidates. Once a club finds someone who agrees to the idea of refereeing, that club should then inform the Hon Sec. If a sufficient number of candidates emerge, it may even be possible to arrange a special course for a group of new UCFL referees. This would be the ideal scenario from the UCFL’s point of view and it would go a long way to ensuring the uninterrupted continuation of our fixture schedules.