UEFA has launched its first 'Be a Referee!' referee recruitment campaign, which aims to increase knowledge of referees, emphasise their importance to the game and inspire young people to pursue a career as a referee.  The campaign is part of a larger programme through which UEFA will support national federations in their recruitment activities with the aim of recruiting around 40,000 new referees per season. An evaluation by UEFA's referee committee showed that several member federations are facing problems in recruiting or retaining young referees before they reach higher levels, which is becoming a serious threat to the game and could have a negative impact on the number of top match officials.

"With the increase in the number of matches, we currently need around 277,000 match officials in European football, but we are almost 40,000 referees short of having sufficient numbers for the game at grassroots level," said Roberto Rosetti, UEFA's head of referees. “For this reason, we have decided to invest in a programme that supports national federations in recruiting and retaining young referees. It is essential for the lifeblood of European football.” As part of the campaign, a video clip featuring referees of all levels, including two current elite referees at national and international level, France's Stéphanie Frappart and England's Michael Oliver, was released on UEFA platforms. Using the dynamic style of video games, the video shows the impressive skills and excitement of refereeing matches at different levels, from grassroots to professional football. 

“This campaign holds immense significance for the future of football, as referees play a pivotal role in safeguarding the game on the field of play,” explained Zvonimir Boban, UEFA Head of Football and Director of Technical Development. “In addition to improved fitness and a deep understanding of football, refereeing can equip young individuals with invaluable life skills that will serve them both on and off the field."

Roberto Rosetti emphasised the main pillars for successful referee recruitment: “We are advising associations to target players who have stopped playing football and also to identify potential candidates in schools or universities. It is also important to strengthen the online learning component and to have a clear communication strategy. Any interest garnered through the UEFA campaign video will be channelled directly to the national federations.”

Federations will set clear targets regarding the number of targeted recruitments and retained referees, as well as how to tackle abuse, which has been identified as one of the reasons why referees decide to stop pursuing a career. UEFA will also support national federations to work closely with regional associations and clubs to motivate and inspire young people to become referees.