How to use this checklist
Work through the five stages in order. Where an item depends on your competition, such as team sheets, sin bins or deadlines, this guide tells you to check your own rules rather than guessing. It is general guidance for new referees in England, not an official FA document, and the Laws of the Game and your competition rules always take priority.
When the appointment arrives
The work starts before you pack a bag. As soon as your appointing secretary sends you a match, spend five minutes on the details, because they decide how the rest of the day goes.
Confirm it the way your county asks
Appointing bodies differ on how they want you to accept a match. Follow your county's process and reply promptly, so the secretary can find someone else if you cannot make it.
Check the date, kick-off time and venue
Look at the full address, not just the ground's name. Many grounds share a postcode with a park or leisure centre, and the pitch may be some way from the car park.
Note the competition and your role
Are you the referee, or an assistant, and is it a league match, a cup tie or a friendly? The competition decides which rules apply.
Work out your journey
Check the route and how long it takes at that time of day, then add a buffer. Decide who you will contact, and how, if you are held up.
Put it in your diary
Add the match to your calendar, or to penalty.app, so it appears with its kick-off time and a countdown alongside your other commitments.
The night before: kit and competition rules
Lay everything out the evening before. The aim is that nothing on the morning of the match needs a decision.
The equipment the Laws expect
Law 5 lists the minimum: a whistle (take a spare), a watch (take a second), red and yellow cards, and a notebook or other way of recording the match. Add a pen and a pencil, and something to help you toss a coin.
Your kit
Take your referee shirt in more than one colour. If the teams' colours clash with yours, you will need an alternative. Add boots for the surface, a warm layer, a towel and a change of clothes.
Water and food
Take water, and something to eat afterwards. Do not rely on the clubhouse being open.
Read your competition rules
Find the length of each half, the number of substitutes and substitutions, whether there are sin bins, whether team sheets or player ID are required, and who may act as assistants. These come from your competition, not from the Laws, so they can change from one league to the next. Our guide to the 2026/27 Law changes is a quick way to make sure you are working from this season's Laws.
Check the weather and the pitch
Look at the forecast and watch for any message from the home club or your secretary about the pitch. If conditions are doubtful, your competition rules will say who decides and who you must tell.
At the ground: checks and club assistants
Aim to arrive well before kick-off. Forty-five minutes is a sensible target, but check whether your county asks for more. That gives you time for the checks below without rushing.
Introduce yourself
Find the home club's contact, say hello, and agree where you will change and where the teams will meet you. A calm first conversation sets the tone.
Inspect the pitch
Walk the field of play. Check that the markings are clear, the goals are firmly secured, the nets are fixed, and nothing on or around the pitch is dangerous. If you are not happy, raise it with the home club immediately.
Check the ball
Make sure the match ball is the right size, properly inflated and in good condition, and that there is a spare.
Collect and check the team sheets
If your competition requires team sheets or player ID, collect them in good time. Check the names and numbers against the players who turn up.
Meet your club assistants, if you have them
Most grassroots matches do not have neutral assistants. Where clubs supply them, agree what you want from them before kick-off. A club assistant is there to help, and every decision is still yours.
On the pitch: For ready-made offside and club-assistant situations to practise, try our ten Laws scenarios for new referees.
Before kick-off: briefings and final checks
You are on the pitch now. These last few minutes are about safety, clarity and making your expectations plain, not about showing authority.
Check the players' equipment
Under Law 4, players must wear shin guards, and jewellery is not permitted. Ask players to remove any before the match, and do not let anyone talk you out of it.
Check the colours
The two teams' kits must be distinguishable from each other and from yours. If not, agree a solution before kick-off with the captains.
Brief your assistants
Keep it short: what they should signal (usually the ball out of play), where to stand, and that they should wait for your decision rather than shout it.
Speak to the captains
Introduce yourself, confirm the length of the halves and any competition rules that matter on the day, and ask them to tell their teams you will manage conduct firmly and fairly.
Toss the coin
Under Law 8, the team that wins the toss decides which goal it will attack in the first half or whether to take the kick-off. The other team then takes the other option.
Check your watch, then start the match
Note the kick-off time. Make sure your watch and your notebook are within reach before you blow.
On the pitch: Your disciplinary authority begins when you enter the field of play for the pre-match inspection, so be professional from the moment you walk onto the pitch.
After the whistle: result, reports, fee and mileage
The match is not over when the final whistle goes. Do these things while the details are fresh, ideally before you leave the ground.
Note the score, cards and incidents
Write the final score, the names and numbers of any players cautioned or sent off, the minute and exactly what you saw and heard. Law 5 expects you to report disciplinary action and other incidents to the appropriate authorities.
Submit the result
Check how your competition wants the result and any card details recorded, and by when. Do it as soon as you can, because late submissions can attract questions from the league.
Write any misconduct report
If you sent a player off, check the County FA's deadline and reporting route straight away. Stick to facts: what you saw and heard, not what you think the player intended.
Log the match, fee and mileage
Record the fee, whether it has been paid, and your mileage while you still remember. You will need these for your own records, for your season totals and for your tax return.
Reflect for two minutes
Write down one thing that went well and one decision you want to revisit. Over a season, those notes become the best revision list you have.
Keep the whole matchday in one place
penalty.app is built around exactly this timeline. Before the match, your next appointment sits on the home screen with its kick-off time, a countdown and directions to the ground in Waze or Google Maps. Afterwards, you record the result, fee and mileage, and the match joins your season history, with your promotion progress alongside it. If a card is shown, the reports tool helps you turn your notes into clear text for your County FA, which you check before you submit it.
FAQ
- How early should I arrive for my first match as a referee?
- A sensible target is about 45 minutes before kick-off, which gives you time to inspect the pitch, meet the club and speak to the teams without rushing. Check whether your county or competition asks for more.
- What do I need to take to my first match as a referee?
- At minimum, Law 5 expects a whistle, a watch, red and yellow cards, and a notebook or other way of recording the match. Add spares of the whistle and watch, a pen and pencil, a coin, kit in a second colour, water and a change of clothes.
- Do I check player ID and team sheets?
- That depends on your competition rules. Some require team sheets or player ID before kick-off, and others do not. Read them the night before so you know exactly what to collect.
- What if I think the pitch is unsafe?
- Your competition rules say who decides whether a pitch is playable and who you must tell. Raise your concern with the home club straight away, and let your appointing secretary know as soon as you can.
- What do I do after my first match?
- Submit the result as your competition requires, write any misconduct report within your County FA's deadline, and log the match, fee and mileage while the details are fresh.
Related guides
Laws of the Game quiz with answers →
Ten scenarios for new referees, with the decision and sanction for each.
Laws of the Game 2026/27: what changed →
The nine changes grassroots referees need to know this season.
Reports and misconduct report text →
Turn your notes into clear text, saved in your history.
Tracking expenses and mileage →
Know what refereeing really costs you, season by season.