The Referees’ Association is, as its name suggests, an organised body of people involved with Refereeing. It is a voluntary organisation, run by Referees for the benefit of Referees. After almost 100 years it remains a voluntary organisation and continues to serve its members.
The Early Years
The first Referees’ Society was formed by Frederick Wall in 1893 in London. Frederick was at that time a member of the FA Council and was to be Secretary of the Football Association from 1895 - 1934.
With the growth in popularity of football, more people became Referees and more Referees’ Societies were formed around the country. Following a suggestion by C E Sutcliffe in 1908, a Union of Referees and Referees’ Societies in England was formed.
The first annual Conference was held in Derby in 1909. An Annual Conference has taken place every year since, with the exception of the years of the First and Second World Wars.
The first recorded membership was 1,588 in 1914. The Referees’ Association has grown and developed into an organisation with currently approximately 15,000 members in over 320 societies throughout England, Northern Ireland and Wales.
The original three Divisions increased to six with Southern Division splitting to form Southern Division and Western Division in 1936, Northern Division splitting to form North East Division and North West Division in 1948 and the Welsh Division was formed in 1980. The members in each Division elected their own Vice President and Secretary who then represented the Division on the Council of The Referees’ Association.
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