How to become a football referee: 'I love the buzz of being on the pitch'

With a lifelong love of football, Louise Thompson followed her passion for the game, first as a player and now as a referee. As well as refereeing Fifa and NIFL Premiership matches, she also works for the Irish Football Association as the women's referee pathway officer, recruiting and developing up-and-coming female refs.

Walking out on the pitch at your own national stadium as the referee of a big final… was definitely a pinch-me moment.

Louise Thompson on refereeing the Women's Irish Cup final.

If you're interested in becoming a referee, it's something you can get involved with from a young age through local referee courses. The minimum age to become a qualified referee varies depending on where in the UK you live:

• England: 14
• Northern Ireland: 14
• Scotland: 16
• Wales: 14 (you can start the course at 13 but can't referee until you're 14)

In her role as a women's referee pathway officer, Louise oversees new referees right from the initial recruitment courses stage: "We then do the beginners' course with referees, giving them all of the Laws of the Game knowledge," she says. "We also do a hands-on part of that course where they go onto the pitch and we go through different scenarios… exactly what you do as a referee, and day-to-day practical stuff as well… The idea is to give them all the basics and fundamentals before they go into a game so that they're prepared."

• Played football from a young age. Joined a senior ladies' football team as soon as she was old enough (aged 14!)
• Studied PE at GCSE and A-level
• Studied Sport and Exercise Science at university
• Continued to play football throughout and got a knee injury. Whilst injured, signed up for a referee course at a local leisure centre and fell in love with it!
• Refereeing for around seven years, and now training future referees too.

All four UK nations have established pathways for referee development and progression. Starting out at grassroots level, it's possible to progress all the way to Fifa!

Louise's first games were youth games: "I still remember my first game to this day," she says. "It was an under-13 game, and I was definitely the most nervous person on the pitch." She explains: "Over time, you'll get mentors who will come and watch you, give you advice, give you feedback" which will help you to progress to higher levels of the game.

• Give it a try! You never know until you do it
• Push yourself out of your comfort zone. Get comfortable being uncomfortable in situations! Putting yourself out there helps you grow as a person and you find out so much more about yourself that you probably never knew
• Remember how fast the women's game is growing and how many opportunities that brings!

As well as PE, Louise has found that languages are really helpful in this line of work, "especially when you're dealing with a lot of international games and people coming along," she says. "If you can learn some languages, it's very, very useful."

• Referee average salary: Variable depending on the league and standard.
• Referee typical working hours: 36 to 38 hours per week, but it varies. You could work evenings, weekends and bank holidays.

You could get into this role by training with a professional body.

• In England , you can become a referee through a training programme run by the Football Association (FA). You'll need to register with your local County FA and complete the FA Referee Course.
• In Northern Ireland, the Irish FA (IFA) run referee courses. You must register via the IFA Referee Training Portal and complete a two-day Referee Beginner Course.
• In Scotland, the Scottish FA (SFA) manages referee qualifications, which are delivered by the 12 local Referee Associations.
• In Wales, you can start your referee career via the Football Association of Wales (FAW) Referee Award.

Sources: National Careers Service, GOV.UK, FA, IFA, SFA, and FAW.

This information is a guide and is constantly changing. Please check the sources listed for the latest information.

Bitesize Careers, in partnership with The Open University, has launched the Follow Your Passion campaign, exploring how you can draw on your passions and interests to find your future jobs.

• Kick off: September 2026
• Focus: All things football!
• Discover more: To find more careers in football, click the link to the Bitesize Careers Follow Your Passion page.