Changes to referee allocation from 2016/17

[AFCB_Mark]

Currently the 'Select Group' of refs cover the Premiership and will drop down to Championship to cover a portion of games each a season. Most Championship games tend to be covered by the highest rated of the 'National Group' of refs, who cover the Football League as a whole.

From the 2016/17 season, the 'Select Group' will be increased in number and will be used to cover the Premiership and Championship on a rotation. The 'National Group' will cover League One and Two. These Select Group refs are full time professional, paid 60k a year. Any ex players who fancy it will be fast tracked through the National group to the select group.

The extra money required to increase the number of these full time Select Group refs will come out of the solidarity payments that Championship clubs receive from the Prem (so our clubs are ultimately paying for this). This change has been suggested and raised through the refs union the Referee Association from what I gather.

Not sure what actual different this will make, when the same highest rated National refs who already cover most Championship games will be the fellas going onto the Select group, many of whom already cover some Champ games. So it'll be more or less the same blokes, but they will all be full time and higher paid for their cockups....

 

[Walkley_Owl]

We will still get shit refs.

 

[SUTSS]

Being full time does (or should in theory) improve things like fitness.

I've never understood the argument about ex-players being better refs.

 

[Veggie Legs]

Me neither.

I also don't think there's anything wrong with the referees we have at the moment, I don't remember any games I've watched this season which have been significantly influenced by the officials.

 

[Walkley_Owl]

Me neither.

I also don't think there's anything wrong with the referees we have at the moment, I don't remember any games I've watched this season which have been significantly influenced by the officials.

We've had some right dross mate.

 

[Super_horns]

I've never understood the argument about ex-players being better refs.

They would be so biased for and against some teams it would be untrue!

Anyway they probably all have enough money and cannot be bothered to make the effort.

 

[markwwfc1992]

Last time we got a Premier League ref demoted to our league was at home against Bournemouth... I'll save you the details Mark

 

[Mansfield_Ram]

Me neither.

I also don't think there's anything wrong with the referees we have at the moment, I don't remember any games I've watched this season which have been significantly influenced by the officials.

Birmingham at home
- penalty given when it wasn't one made it 2-1
- 3 minutes of added time
- birmingham second goal scored with 7 minutes injury time played
Wolves away
- clear sending off or a goal? Neither!

We've had some appalung referees before but they didn't influence the game massively, they were just poor.

 

[HertsCobbler]

There was one ex pro who was a ref - Steve Baines in the 1990s and 2000s. To get booked you had to break a bone and sent off practically kill.