If you saw any of this weekend's FA Cup Semi-Final action, you may have noticed the message that football needs 8,000 new referees displayed in both the matchday programmes and on the pitch perimeter boards.

With the recent announcement of the plan to channel £200 million into grassroots football over the next four years, the need to recruit and retain more referees has received great emphasis in The FA’s National Game Strategy.

If you are interested in getting into refereeing and are 14 years old or over, now could not be a better time to enrol on a course. In order to become a qualified Football Association referee you must register onto and pass the Basic Course in Refereeing. The courses are organised and conducted by the local County FAs in England and are modular based. They usually take place over two full days or four half days. The course fee is refundable to you on completion of the first six games.

The course involves learning the laws of the game, practical elements and refereeing six games of eleven-a-side football. Once you have successfully passed the examination and completed the course, you can demonstrate your skills as a referee. If you are over 16 years of age, you can become a Level 7 referee and be eligible to officiate in local amateur parks football. If you are between 14-16, you can register as a Level 8 Youth Referee which enables you to officiate in youth football.

Promotion through the levels of refereeing is possible depending on individuals’ commitment and ability. If you wish to become a Level 6 referee you must serve one year at Level 7 before being eligible for promotion. Promotion is usually decided through assessment, attendance at further training, successful completion of a test on the laws of the game and a satisfactory average mark over 20 completed matches. The same criteria would apply for promotion to Level 5.

An assessment is when a senior referee (or retired referee) watches you referee, and provides you with a constructive report on your performance. Assessors also send a confidential mark on the copy of the report which is sent to your County FA.

Level 5 referees may then be eligible for promotion to Senior Competitions (Level 4 rising to Level 1). This may involve refereeing in a 'supply league - Level 4' (a senior amateur league at County level), and being an assistant referee in a 'contributory league - Level 3' (a semi-professional league). Further promotion would take you on to a Panel League - Level 2 and eventually, on to the National list of Referees - Level 1.

The final promotion would be on to the International list. However, certain age limits apply - minimum and maximum - and a fitness test must be passed before each season.

There are great benefits to being a referee. Match Officials play a pivotal role in ‘the beautiful game’, can improve their fitness and also enjoy the social element that refereeing can provide. Registering with The FA Match Officials Association (FAMOA) on qualifying means that you become a member of The FA’s refereeing community and can benefit from the support and information that FAMOA is on hand to provide.

At The FA, we value our referees and are keen to encourage and reward them. As such, we run the FAMOA Incentive Scheme. On joining the scheme you will receive a log book in which to record the games you officiate throughout the season, as well as certain activities you participate in and can collect points for doing so. The points you accumulate can then be redeemed for a wide range of referees kit and equipment at the end of the season.

If you wish to enquire about enrolling on a Basic Course in Refereeing, you should contact your local County FA directly. They will be able to inform you when and where the course is next being held in your area. Please follow the link for contact details of all the County FAs.

If you have any questions related to refereeing, please do not hesitate to contact us by emailing famoa@thefa.com or by calling 0207 745 4651.

If you'd like to become a referee register your interest by clicking here and a local County FA Referee Development Officer will contact you.