The Amateur Football Combination's policy to promote the interests of younger referees is to introduce them to refereeing adult football in stages as they mature. We would encourage referees to register with the league immediately upon qualification.

Young referees' names will be published in the league handbook provided that they will reach their 17th birthday during the season concerned, and they will begin receiving refereeing appointments once they have qualified as level 7 referees.
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We would encourage all newly qualified referees to seek a mentor.

Promotion

Referees who wish to try for promotion should contact their Parent County Football Association. If you are unsure of the procedure then please contact the AFC Referees' Secretary for more details.
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​Mentoring

Increasingly, young and new referees are being advised to find a "mentor", and experienced referee designed to support and guide them in those early matches, and develop a friendship that will hopefully continue into a long-standing support.

The mentor is there to praise a referee's good points, help him or her to identify and improve any areas of weakness and to assist him or her in improving their performance levels as a referee and as an assistant referee.
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We would encourage all newly qualified referees to seek a mentor.
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For more details on mentoring please contact your County Referee Development Officer.