New mentoring programme to support diversity across the refereeing pathway

The new mentoring programme will see over 40 referee mentors trained up and deployed across the country, providing bespoke support to referees from Black, Asian and Mixed Heritage backgrounds who complete The FA’s bursary funded training course. Mentees will benefit from monthly 1-2-1 meetings with their mentor who will share advice and support as they prepare to referee their first match and beyond. 

This programme is part of our wider strategy for refereeing in England, building a culture that provides opportunities for all in refereeing by actively addressing barriers to inclusion.

We launched To Grow, Guide and Govern in July 2023, which makes a significant commitment to diversify the refereeing pathway over the next three years through the delivery of a greater number of courses, bursary schemes, and enhancing diversity in supporting roles within refereeing.

Significant progress has already been made, with 895 match officials accessing The FA’s bursary scheme from Black, Asian & Mixed Heritage backgrounds since the launch of the programme in the 2023-24 season.  

The target of achieving a net increase of 1,000 Black and Asian Referees by 2026 has already been surpassed, with 3,565 people from Black, Asian & Mixed Heritage backgrounds already registered.

Raj Randhawa, the FA’s refereeing EDI delivery manager, said: “The first set of matches for a newly qualified referee is an important time in their development, so knowing that there is a supportive figure as a point of contact before and after the match itself will be invaluable for aspiring referees at the start of their journey. We want to see people of all backgrounds take up refereeing and our new mentoring programme in partnership with BAMREF. Together, we want to help create a culture of support, as part of our ongoing efforts to diversify the refereeing pathway and to ensure our network of match officials in the future can better represent the diversity we see on the pitch.”

Aji Ajibola, CEO, BAMREF said: “Mentoring is a win-win journey for both Mentor and Mentee and a crucial platform to facilitate specific and shared experiences through meaningful conversation that produces fulfilment, progression, confidence, productivity, support and connection for all involved and increase success opportunities. BAMREF have long campaigned for such initiatives and are excited to be collaborating with The FA on what we believe will be a significant game changer for retaining more officials from our communities in the sport."

Darren Lewis, Vice Chairman of BAMREF said: “The key to growing our family of Black, Asian and mixed ethnicity referees is inspiring even more of them - young and older - that it can be done. Mentoring will help to guide and support our aspiring officials as they take their first steps into an incredible industry. It will give them the confidence to express themselves and to discover talents even they didn’t think they had. It represents an exciting next step for our sport.”

Vinny Wagjiani, mentoring project lead at BAMREF, said: “As project lead, I am truly honoured to support this initiative. Representation on the field inspires change beyond it. The BAMREF mentoring program is essential to empowering Black, Asian, and mixed-heritage referees, inspiring young minds and turning dreams into reality. By fostering diversity and inclusion, we ensure football at all levels reflects the passion and potential of everyone who loves the game."

To find out more about the mentoring scheme and how to apply to become a mentor, please click below: