Finding a referee for your amateur match: how to handle it

Friday evening, 8pm: the referee you confirmed three weeks ago for Saturday texts to say he's sick. No association will respond at that hour, and no backup is lined up. This scenario plays out more often at friendlies and tournaments than in league matches — precisely the games you're responsible for arranging yourself.

Through the association

Most competitions arrange referees through the football association. The home team is generally responsible for requesting or confirming the referee. Check in advance that a referee has indeed been assigned — don't assume it's been handled automatically.

Arranging it yourself for friendly matches

For friendly matches, tournaments, or informal games, you're responsible yourself. Ask your club or sports association if there's a list of available referees. Alternatives include referee associations in the region or student sports federations that train and deploy referees.

Setting clear agreements

• Confirm the date, time, and location in writing.
• Agree on the fee in advance — and how and when it will be paid.
• Notify the referee promptly if the match is cancelled.
• Designate a point of contact on match day.

When something goes wrong anyway

Sometimes a referee cancels at the last minute. Have a plan B: a referee within the group itself, or a player who temporarily officiates. In principle, let the match go ahead — an informal referee is better than none at all.

How one tournament organizer solved it with a backup list

The organizer of an annual eight-team indoor football tournament had struggled with last-minute referee cancellations for three seasons running. The fix turned out to be simple: he built a list of four referees from the regional student sports federation willing to step in on an on-call basis for €25.00 per match, instead of relying on a single fixed referee. The next time a cancellation came in, two hours before kickoff, he had a replacement arranged within ten minutes by group-texting those four names. Since then, no match has been cancelled for lack of a referee.

With good preparation and clear agreements, you can prevent most referee-related stress. Include this in your standard match checklist and it will almost always go smoothly.