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 Referee course and these are held around the country from January - May and then September - December each year.
The Schedule of Basic Referee courses for September to December 2013 will be available at this site from June 2013. From September 2013 there will be a fee for the course.
This one day course will provide you with an introduction to the role of the referee and includes
After attending the Basic course you can apply for an Officials Licence and then organise and referee Grade 5, Grade 6 and 7 competitions locally, such as Mini Tennis and Matchplays at your local Place to Play or local Open tournaments.
You will also be able to assist a referee as a court supervisor at higher Grade competitions. Officials that do not become Licensed will be able to organise and referee Grade 6 and Grade 7 competitions.
Having completed the Basic course you can apply online to become an LTA Licensed Official. Officials require an LTA DBS check in order to apply for an Officials Licence. Find out more about the Officials Licence Scheme here
To go onto the next stage and attend the Full Referee course you will need to:
Further information is contained in the handouts distributed at the Basic Referee course.
In order to referee at higher graded competitions, you will need to attend and pass a Full Referee course. The course 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 Jan - May 2013 course information
The Schedule of Full Referee courses for September to December 2013 will be available at this site from June 2013. From September 2013 there will be a fee for the course.
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 DBS 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.
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