THERE is still a shortage of football referees in the county and a course is planned for anyone interested in taking up the whistle, whether they have ambitions to progress up the ladder or just put something back into local football.

This will be held at Worcestershire Football Association Headquarters, De Salis Drive, Hampton Lovatt Industrial Estate, Droitwich.

The course commences on Friday, November 19, at 7pm with a 9pm finish and continues at the same times on consecutive Fridays for a total period of nine weeks, excluding Christmas and New Year.

The first three weeks are on basic law, with an exam on the fourth week based on the multi-choice principle.

Successful candidates can proceed to the second part of the course provided they commence refereeing 11-a-side matches. This means that they could be refereeing in the New Year.

The second part of the course is based on the practicalities of refereeing including the use of videos, and will commence in the New Year.

The last week of the course consists of the final examination and successful candidates will receive a certificate and be registered as either a level 7 or level 8 referee, and will be expected to pay an affiliation fee of £10.

The cost for the course is £30 for candidates over 16 years of age and £20 those for under 16.

In both instances, the full fee will be refunded after having refereed 10 11-a-side matches. All candidates must be over 14 years of age at the time of the final examination.

For more information, please do not hesitate to contact Worcestershire Football Association (office hours) 01905 827137 or Bill Allsopp (evenings) Tel: 01299 826654.