Refereeing is one of the ways to be involved in competition and a referee is the person who is responsible for supervising all players at a competition to ensure they follow the rules of tennis. A qualified referee is needed at Grade 5 competitions and above as these count for AEGON British Tennis Ratings and Rankings.
Details of the steps to becoming a qualified referee are as follows:
The first step to refereeing is the Basic course and these are held around the country from January - May and then September - December each year. These courses are currently free to attend and details of the current schedule are available here:
Download 2012 course information
This one day course will provide you with an introduction to the role of the referee and includes
After attending the Basic course, you will be able to organise and referee Grade 6 and 7 competitions locally, such as Mini Tennis and Matchplays at your local Place to Play. You will also be able to assist a referee as a court supervisor at higher Grade competitions.
If you would like to go on to become an accredited referee, the requirements to attend the next stage (Full Referee course) are as follows:
Further information is contained in the handouts distributed at the Basic Referee course.
In order to become an accredited referee and referee Grade 5 competitions and higher, you will need to attend and pass a Full Referee course. This is currently a free one day course, which builds on the information learned at the Basic Referee course, covers various competition scenarios and also includes a test and exam element.
These courses are held around the country from January - May and then September - December each year and you will need to have completed the requirements listed above before applying to attend the Full Referee course.
Details of the current schedule are available here: Download 2012 course information
The role of officiating in tennis is unique to other sports as it often involves regular contact and a supervisory role of children, young people and adults at risk during tournaments. For these reasons, Accredited Officials will require an LTA CRB disclosure.
After you have completed the requirements and passed the course, you will then receive Calendars from LTA Officiating three times per year, asking for availability to officiate at competitions. It is also a good idea to make contact with your local LTA County Office, to advise them that you are newly qualified and looking to gain more refereeing experience.
Please contact Officiating.Feedback@LTA.org.uk for further information.
"One of the most difficult issues faced by most referees is the weather, for some reason both players and parents fail to understand that it is not your fault as referee that it is raining and there is nothing you can do to stop it..."
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