REFS Project
Inspiring the next generation of sport officials in Europe
Improving the engagement of children and young people in sport officiating through enhancing the image and perception of officiating among children aged 8-13, and the recruitment and retention of young people aged 14-20 in officiating roles.
The REFS project has been funded under the Erasmus+ Sport Programme of the European Union (Call 2024) and has a duration of 3 years, January 2025 – December 2027.
Background
Sport in Europe would grind to a halt without sport officials.
No sport officials = no sport.
Therefore, young sport officials are vital to the future of the whole sport sector in Europe.
The rationale for the REFS project can be described through two main elements:
- Sport officiating should be developed as an attractive choice for young people who want to take part in sporting activities, equivalent to roles of player/athlete or coach.
- REFS will actively promote the benefits of officiating and seek to raise its status and image, so young people can see it as a valid and attractive option for pursuing an involvement in sport.
- Given the high level of drop out, there needs to be an ongoing “pipeline” of younger officials coming through the system to replace those who leave or retire and prepare the next generation.
- REFS will identify and seek to remove barriers to the attraction, recruitment and retention of young sport officials – including negative image/perception of officiating, real or perceived levels of abuse of officials, and support mechanisms for young officials.
Aim
The overall aim of REFS is to inspire the next generation of sport officials in Europe.
This will be done through intensive phases of research and consultation, followed by the development of guidelines and recommendations which will be tested in the real world through collaboration with schools, sport clubs and engagement of children and young people.
The project will have three focus areas, namely:
Improving the image and perception
of officiating among children
(Indicative age group 8 – 13)
Attracting/recruiting
young people to officiating roles
(Indicative age group 14 – 20)
Retaining
young officials
(Indicative age group 14 – 20)
The overall benefits/ impacts of REFS will be to:
Raise
the profile of sport officiating and the positive values it promotes
Increase
the knowledge base concerning youth and sport officiating
Establish
a forum for sharing of ideas and best practice in recruitment and retention of young sport officials in Europe
Provide
support to those responsible for the recruitment, retention and development of sport officials
Contribute
to the achievement of a more effective sport officiating workforce which makes use of all the talent available to it
Expected Deliverables
Deliverable 1: European Research Report on Children and Young People in Sport Officiating
Researching and analysing the engagement of children and young people in sport officiating will be achieved through a combination of desk research, interviews and a survey of young people and schools/ sport organisations. The European Research Report will include information such as children’s perception of officiating, young people’s motivations to become an official, barriers to recruitment for young people in officiating, and the things that can help with retention of young people.
Deliverable 2: Compendium of Good Practice Examples in the Perception, Recruitment and Retention of children and Young People in Sport Officiating
Good practice examples will be identified to create inspiring case studies for inclusion in the Compendium. The document will include and showcase real world examples from sport organisations who are achieving success in improving the perception of officiating among children, and recruitment/ retention of young people in officiating.
Deliverable 3: Guidelines for the Engagement of Children and Young People in Sport Officiating
The partners will use the findings from the research and consultation activities to draft guidelines for engagement of children and young people in sport officiating. The Guidelines will cover how to improve the perception of sport officiating among children ages 8-13, how to attract / recruit young people aged 14-20 into sport officiating roles and provide advice on retention issues for young sport officials aged 14-20.
Deliverable 4: Series of Video Clips to Inspire the Next Generation of Sport Officials
A series of video clips will form the main campaign material produced during the project. Partners will identify schools/ sport organisations/ young people to feature in the videos. The partners will produce a series of video clips to inspire the next generation of sport officials and to contribute towards the engagement of children and young official in sport officiating.
Deliverable 5: European Conference on Engagement of Children and Young People in Sport Officiating
The objective of the final conference will be to present the main findings from the research phase, and introduce the innovative outputs developed to a wide range of stakeholders who can benefit from them, including schools and sport organisations (federations, clubs etc). The conference will discuss priority actions to take forward the implementation of the REFS outputs for the benefit of the whole sport sector.
Deliverable 6: Strategic Sustainability Action Plan towards better Perception, Recruitment and Retention of Children and Young People in Sport Officiating
A focus on sustainability will be key to ensure that there are structures and activities in place to continue the work of REFS after the funded period. The Sustainability Strategic Action Plan will map out the main activities, responsible stakeholders, priority actions and timelines for the ongoing dissemination and implementation of the project’s outputs over a five-year period.
Partnership
Coordinated by the European Observatoire of Sport and Employment (EOSE), REFS brings together eight stakeholders – national and international organisations for sport officials, sport federations, a sport council, a national Olympic committee, and a university – across six countries to make the project’s planned aims, objectives and activities a reality and with the networks to disseminate and promote the deliverables throughout the sport officiating ecosystem.
The partnership gathers a mix of organisations with strong interest and expertise in sport officiating. This consortium will ensure the innovative outputs are developed in line with the realities and expectations of the sector and can be sustained in the long term.
REFS Library
Coming Soon
Latest News
Launch of the REFS Project: Shaping the Future of Youth Sport Officiating in Europe
The REFS project is an ambitious three-year Erasmus+ Sport initiative designed to transform the engagement of young people in sport officiating across Europe, officially launched on the 9th and 10th of April 2025, with the first Full Partner Meeting held in...
Contact
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Willing to take part in the dissemination and consultation process?
Interested in working with the project partners or share ideas/suggestions/good practice?
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