Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)


How do I join?

Contact our Secretary whose details are on the Contact page and he will give you all the information.


Where do you meet?

We meet at Rayners Lane FC, Tithe Farm Sports & Social Club, 151 Rayners Ln, Harrow HA2 0XH.


What can I get from joining?

  • Support and assistance with your development as a referee from like-minded experienced colleagues who have been there and done that. Expert assistance is available from each Society’s own Training Officer and FA Tutor members
  • Monthly meetings via Zoom, or face to face in your area, when safe to do so for in-service training or with a guest speaker, including Premier League and Football League referees and assistant referees.
  • Guidance on matters affecting promotion, including when to apply and how to avoid mistakes.
  • Access to the members’ area of the Referees’ Association Website: www.the-ra.org using your membership number (available from your Branch Secretary if you don’t know it). There you can get details of the following four-member benefits:
  1. Direct access at very attractive prices to a great range of refereeing kit and equipment at Sporting Touch, the RA’s Online Shop: www.the-rashop.org; also get a 10% off code is available from your branch secretary.
  2. The RA in partnership with Pure Gym in Northolt offers free parking with no joining fee and a 10% discount on the monthly fee, saving £32 per year.
  3.  The RA in partnership with Science in Sports www.scienceinsport.com/football gives you 30% off your nutrition order. Use the code in the members’ area of the website.
  4. Red Driving School will give RA Members the first two lessons for the price of one and let you save up to £5 an hour on subsequent bookings.
  • Membership of a strong national association through your local RA branch.
  • Comradeship, advice and social activities.
  • Representation of your interests at the county and national levels with the full support from the RA should you be the victim of unfortunate circumstances or should you receive unjust treatment.
  • Enhanced Referees’ Association Insurance policy for members with cover for accidents, injuries and losses while on refereeing duties (when travelling to and from the game, at the game, both on the field of play and off it; the same applies in respect of attending Referee meetings, training sessions and similar activities. (Benefits for Temporary Disablement; Capital Benefits Rehabilitation; Victim Support; Medical Expenses; Dental Expenses; Broken bones; Hospitalisation and Capital Benefits, such as £15,000 for death).
  • Equipment Insurance (Loss of Referees’ Equipment, Spectacles and Contact Lenses) and Clothing and Personal Effects Insurance, both now up to £350 with a £25 excess while on refereeing duties and attending RA meetings. This includes theft from a locked building, or motor vehicle (items must be out of sight in your locked boot or in a locked glove box ( remember that many of these do not have a lock these days).
  • Free Physiotherapy after you suffer an accident or injury while refereeing, travelling to or from a game or at an official RA Event.
  • New from 2019: Vehicle Breakdown Cover for a vehicle belonging to a member or a parent of a youth member for just one payment of £19 (per vehicle) for a whole 12 months: Covers Home Start, Breakdown Assistance, Local Recovery, and Nationwide Recovery. The fee covers two callouts per vehicle registration number per calendar year (so two in 2021 and two in 2022). To extend cover for extra callouts after using those ask your branch secretary to contact the RA on your behalf. The fee also entitles the whole family to Lifestyle Legal Protection. See Page 5 of the RA Members Benefit Brochure 2020-21.
  • Membership of the Referees’ Association Benevolent Fund just in case you encounter hardship.
  • Free attendance (£25 for non-members) at the RA Development Weekend (Annual Conference) in July with workshops hosted by Select Group Referees and top FA Tutors. (Event currently suspended due to the Covid-19 restrictions). £10 is charged for all-day coffee or tea and lunch on Saturday.
  • Free attendance at the annual Middlesex County Referees’ Association Presentation Evening ( The MRA Rally). (Event currently suspended due to the Covid-19 restrictions).
  • A chance to buy a ticket for the FA Cup Final for your personal use through your local RA’s ballot. Qualify to enter the ballot by attending at least three meetings. (Offer currently suspended due to the Covid-19 restrictions).
  • Buy a £5 ticket to attend the Eve of Final Rally (non-members are charged £25, so as a member you save a massive £20). There is a prominent Guest Speaker along with the chance to meet all five FA Cup Final Officials, and you receive a programme signed by the referees, 5 free Raffle Tickets, and can attend a Referee Development session led by the fourth official and the reserve assistant referee at the start of the evening. (Event currently suspended due to the Covid-19 restrictions).
  • Free tickets for you and your partner, or a parent of youth members to attend the Non-League Finals Day at Wembley Stadium in May. (Offer currently suspended due to the Covid-19 restrictions).
  • And so much more!
  • See details in The RA Members’ Benefits Brochure 2021-22