Officials
Referees
Everything a League referee needs to get appointed, get paid and report on a match — and everything a club needs to know about working with them.
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Refereeing in the OYFL
Register with County FA
Referees register or re-register with their County FA through the Referee Portal first. This is separate from — and comes before — OYFL League registration.
Go to Referee Portal →League Registration
Once you're registered with your County FA, complete your OYFL League registration using the League's form.
Start registration →Centre Circle / Appointments
Centre Circle is the platform OYFL uses for referee appointments, availability and matchday admin.
About Centre Circle →How it works
Refereeing Timeline
- < SUN
Availability
- Submit your availability for the following week in Centre Circle, making sure you select ‘Oxfordshire Youth League’.
- Respond promptly — the Referees Secretary can't finalise appointments until referees have confirmed availability.
- WED
Appointments
- The appointments list for the coming weekend (and midweek fixtures, where relevant) is normally circulated around Wednesday.
- Check Centre Circle and acknowledge/accept your appointment.
- Can't officiate a game after all? Reject it in Centre Circle as soon as possible so the League can find cover.
- THURS
Confirm the Fixture
- Clubs should confirm fixture details with you at least 3 days before the match.
- Acknowledge the details you receive and confirm you'll be attending.
- No contact from the club, or a problem with the fixture? Contact the Referees Secretary — don't leave it until matchday.
- SUN
Match Day
- Under 12 and up: both teams must provide a team sheet. Photograph and submit it via Centre Circle before kick-off — mark ‘none provided’ if a team doesn't supply one.
- Handle any on-the-day match administration through Centre Circle.
- Confirming an appointment but not turning up without good reason is reported to the County FA.
- Referee fees are set out in the fee table in Information for Clubs, below.
- MON
Match Reporting
- Complete your Centre Circle match report within 48 hours of the fixture.
- Include fair-play marks out of 10 for each team — players, spectators and team officials are scored separately.
- Sin bins, cautions and dismissals are not part of the Centre Circle match report — report these separately through the Referee Portal.
For clubs
Information for clubs
Where the League appoints a referee (and assistant referee) to a match, the Club must use them. Here’s what clubs need to know about fees, referees, appointments and match reporting.
Referee fees
| Age group | Referee fee | Assistant referee fee |
|---|---|---|
| Under 8 | £20.00 | n/a |
| Under 9 – Under 10 | £25.00 | n/a |
| Under 11 – Under 12 | £30.00 | £25.00 |
| Under 13 – Under 14 | £35.00 | £30.00 |
| Under 15 – Under 16 | £40.00 | £35.00 |
| Under 17 – Under 21 | £45.00 | £35.00 |
Where a referee is appointed to a cup match, both home and away clubs share the referee fee equally.
League-appointed vs. club referees
- Normally only a referee is appointed to a match; assistant referees are usually only appointed to Cup finals (though the League can appoint them elsewhere where appropriate).
- Clubs may use their own club referees for a game as long as details are sent to the Referees Secretary at least 7 days in advance and approved by the League.
Saturday fixtures
- For clubs wishing to use League appointed referees for Saturday fixtures, we ask team managers to download Centre Circle and set up an account – guide here.
- Managers can then advertise their fixture to find a referee. The League will see any applicants and then appoint.
Qualification & registration for club referees
- Club referees must be qualified and registered with their County FA for the current season to officiate 9v9 and/or 11v11 formats.
- A completed Mini Soccer Referee Course is sufficient to officiate 5v5 and 7v7 games.
Confirming appointments
- Appointment lists and confirmations arrive via FA Full-Time.
- Clubs should confirm fixture details with each referee at least 3 days in advance of the fixture, and by Friday at the latest.
- Quickest way to do this is via the Centre Circle app.
Late changes & contact problems
- For late changes — e.g. a change of venue — ring the referee directly to give them the updated information.
- Having trouble contacting a referee, or another appointment problem? Contact the Referees Secretary.
Referee marking
- Managers (both home and away) must include a mark for the referee’s performance when completing match statistics in Full-Time. Missing a mark makes the club liable for a fine (Rule 13(H)).
- The mark is split into three sections: overall decision making (out of 40), judgement of major decisions (out of 30), and overall control (out of 30).
- If the total mark given is 60 or below, a written report is required — constructive, not based on a single decision, and never alleging bias without basis.