Football referee career guide in India

How to become a football referee in India?

Can being a football referee be a good career option in India?

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There was a time when many people in rural India ignored doing jobs or any other government service because they did not want to do that. At that time, especially in rural India, people had a strong desire to get involved in agriculture and live a happy life with their family and friends within the village. People wondered why they needed jobs or services if they had basic necessities such as food, clothing, and shelter. They believed that jobs or any government services give more stress and forced people to stay away from their families and friends and that's how they hesitated to do that.

Gradually or as time passes, people's choices, behaviors, and standards of living have also taken another direction. However, if we look at the current situation in India, the scenario is in stark contrast to the old times. These days, the time is so bad that the youth have to work very hard to get even a good private sector job. Now government jobs are like finding heaven for everyone. 

There are many reasons behind the present worst unemployment situation in India. The biggest reasons are the vast population of the country, the low entrepreneurial skills of the youth, and the lack of effective government policies. There is a huge gap between government policies and their implementation. Corruption is everywhere; thus, real talents are often prevented from getting good opportunities. 

Considering all these factors, now the youth of India have also changed their mindset and started looking for different career opportunities to settle down in life. There are many examples of mentioning such unusual career choices that the recent generation accepts, such as sports or any athletics, music, dance or acting, being a good YouTuber or creator, and many more. 

However, the youth of India are now successful in other career lines related to their hobbies or interests. Whatever it may be, it is definitely a good sign for a nation's growth. That's how we want to say, "Keep working hard until you reach your fate, success will definitely come one day or the other." Confidence and hope will surely yield results in the future. "

Back to the topic of discussion behind this article. Everyone knows that football is a very popular sport in western countries. How crazy Europeans are for this beautiful game called "football". In earlier times, people from Asian countries, especially those from countries like India; People played football only for fun but never thought of bringing this game to a professional level. 

The people of India never thought that this could be a good career option for life. On the other hand, people in the western parts of the world have already made this sport one of the highest-paid sports in the world. Football is a national sport for countries like Spain. However, gradually our Indian people are also changing their mindset and start giving priority to this game. The ISL (India Super League) is one of the main reasons behind this change in mindset and bringing more interest in the sport. 

So, it's not just the players but there are many career opportunities in this game like in other sports. Sports marketing, training, athletic administration, sports medicine, sports promotion, sports psychology, physiotherapists, sports executives, and general managers, and finally the most valuable career opportunity is becoming a football referee, etc.

Now the question is "How to become a referee in Football"?

How to become a football referee in India? Complete process details:

Well, to be very honest becoming a football referee is not at all an easy task. Although this job doesn't require a high level of educational qualification but, good physical fitness is very much important. There are basically five levels of referees in India. The first level is the entry-level or category 5 referee and it goes to the last level i.e the highest level or category 1 referee. For both men and women, the procedure is the same to be a football referee in India. Below are the complete details which describe the entire procedure to become a football referee in India.

Eligibilities required to be a football referee in India?

Educational Qualification : 

First and foremost, to become a football referee in India, the aspirants must have completed his/her 10th standard or matriculation. No higher studies are required, simply an aspirant with a matric passed out certificate is enough to apply for the career.

Age: Minimum age is 18 years for the entry-level referee in India. However, the retirement age is short i.e up to 45 yrs only.

Rather than the above criteria, the other eligibility benchmarks involve such as Aspirants need to be a citizen of India. A valid citizenship document is mandatory.

Apply procedure or How to apply:

In India, the AIFF i.e. (All India Football Federation) is known as the guardian or father of football and conducts all activities related to this game in our country. The AIFF manages the Indian national football team and the women's team as well as various young national parties. The AIFF is a part of the South Asian Football Federation, which runs football in South Asia.

On the AIFF website, there is a referee registration portal known as "RASI" i.e. referee administration system of India. On the site, interested candidates will have to register online to apply to become referees in India. The application process is very simple where candidates have to fill up the registration form with only some basic information.

After filling up the online application, aspirants need to take the follow-up for the same at the AIFF website where the date of registration and examination will be given at your district's local football association. These district football associations are authorized by the state's head referees and the process may conduct once or twice a year according to the decision taken by the AIFF. A relevant government of India identification document is mandatory for the same.

Types of examinations that are conducted by AIFF for becoming a referee in India:

To become football referees in India, candidates have to go through four different types of examinations which are mentioned below.

• Physical Test: 

            Football is a sport that needs a long hour of running practice. This 90-minute game requires a lot of physical fitness and the ability to manage stress on the field. Many times, extra minutes are played, and where the referee has to show more physical fitness than the player. Therefore, in order to be a referee first, candidates have to carry good physical fitness along with excellent running skills. They have to go through a test in which they have to complete a short 60m sprint below 6.5 seconds. Sometimes, candidates also have to go for long-running exams to clear the fitness test.

• Written Test:

                       After the physical fitness test, candidates will have to go for the written test in which their knowledge of the laws and rules of the game will be tested. Here, candidates have to demonstrate better knowledge about the rules and regulations of the game by that written test in order to become a referee.

     

• Oral Interview or Viva:      

Candidates will have to appear for a viva after the successful completion of the written test. This oral test is again related to the candidate's knowledge of the rules and regulations of the game.

•   Practical Test:

This is the last stage of the exam where the candidates are being evaluated through practical examination. Here the candidates will have the opportunity to serve as a referee or assistant referee and/or fourth officer in junior-level tournaments. Their performance and knowledge will first be judged in such junior-level matches and later if they pass all four tests they will be classified as Tier-5 referees.

 Types of football referees in India Or the categories of football referees in India:

As mentioned above, There are basically five categories of football referees in India. Based on that, they are tasked with holding different levels of matches, and only then are they promoted to the next class of referees if they are eligible for it.

Given below is the category or level of football referees in India-

• Tier 5 or Category 5 Referre: 

                   The Tier 5 referee is the starting stage referee who is authorized to hold only state-level tournaments. This category of referees falls under the direct supervision of state agencies. In state-level competitions, they are also authorized to execute junior-level matches only. Here, referees have to conduct a minimum of 30 matches in a year and update the same on the RASI portal. Later, they can apply for the next level of refereeing (i.e. Class 4) where they have to go for the ONE-day course and pass the promotional level test i.e. physical fitness, written test, viva, or oral and practical tests.

•   Tier 4 or Category 4 Referee:

                   Like category 5 referees, "Class 4" referees also fall under the direct supervision of the state organization and are only responsible for performing state-level competitions. Similarly, Class 4 referees can apply for class 3 referees after one year and must pass all four promotional level tests i.e. physical fitness test, written test, viva, and practical.

•  Tier 3 or Category 3 Referee:      

                       This category of referees comes under the direct supervision of state agencies and manages top-level state competitions. They are required to have at least 30 top-level state league matches before the state nominates them for the AIFF-administered Class 2 referee exam. Category 3 referees will have to work hard throughout the year to get promoted and where they have to serve as referees or assistant referees.

Apart from these, the four-stage promotional test model i.e. physical fitness, written test, viva, and practical testing are mandatory, to become a Class 2 referee. 

•  Tier 2 or Category 2 referee:

                    Category 2 referees fall under the direct supervision of the AIFF. They mainly serve all national-level games organized by the AIFF. Later, noticing their performance, they are promoted to Class 1 referees and assistant referees. However, the "physical fitness" test is mandatory for being promoted to a Class 1 referee.

•    Tier 1 or Category 1 referee:

            Category 1 referees serve in top league matches such as I-League and ISL. Referees in this category require annual fitness tests, random fitness tests, and match assessments. Based on their performance later, the AIFF nominated them for FIFA referees and assistant referees.

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