Almost one hundred delegates gathered at Hampden Park this week for the annual CPD event aimed at teachers and lecturers delivering the Professional Development Award in Refereeing, jointly delivered with the SQA.
The course, aimed at S5 and S6 pupils, is designed to equip individuals with knowledge and understanding of refereeing and the Laws of the Game. It also includes learning about formal controls, misconduct, match reports and fitness standards for referees. This knowledge is drawn together by refereeing a football match.
The Professional Development Award in Refereeing has been developed in partnership with the SQA and Scottish FA’s Referee Development Department and is available through schools, colleges, training providers as well as some employers. It has been designed to be delivered as a taught course and will normally be available as a combination of workshops and self-directed study.
The course was introduced in 2011 when 33 candidates earned their certificates. In 2025, there are 142 approved centres delivering the course. In the last school year, 833 certificates were successfully awarded, an increase of over 2000% qualifications gained since the course commenced.
Category One official, Daniel Graves started his journey in refereeing after enrolling in the course at high school, he said: “It was thirteen years ago when I started out on the SQA course and it was a brilliant experience for my friends and I to be able to do a qualification in something that involved football whilst still at school. As the course progressed, I became more confident in the laws of the game, and it also gave me a better football understanding. Most of all it gave me the confidence to go out there and actually give refereeing a go.
“Honestly, I initially started out in refereeing just to earn a bit of extra money while playing football when I was a teenager, but as time went on, I really started to enjoy it, and I was getting more opportunities. Thirteen years later I’m now operating as a Category One referee in the top-flight of Scottish football. When I look back, the SQA course was the main reason that I got involved in refereeing and I probably wouldn’t be here today without it.
“I’d wholeheartedly recommend this course to any young person at school that has a passion for football. It’s a brilliant opportunity to learn more about the game and to learn about different aspects of the game that you’ve maybe never considered before. There’s also a lot of employability skills that come through refereeing, from man management to administration to leadership, there are so many transferable skills that you can use.
“There are a lot of positive gains to be made in refereeing. My advice would be, if you love the game, give it a go and see where it takes you.”
While women still only make up 5% of total registered officials, there are more female referees registered in Scotland than ever before.
One of those officials is Lauren Whitehead, she’s is in her sixth year as a referee and is operating at Category One in the women’s game in Scotland. This week Lauren will also officiate in the UEFA Women's Europa Cup first qualifying round, Lauren said: “I first heard about the SQA refereeing course in sixth year at school and when I went along to find out a bit more with my parents, I knew that it was something that I definitely wanted to do. The school PE department really encouraged me as they knew how engaged I was with football already.
“I’m now in my sixth year of refereeing and I love it just as much now as I did when I first started. Taking the course at school helped me stay motivated and build relationships within the refereeing community.
“I’d definitely recommend the course to anyone who has a love for the game as it’s one of the most successful ways to start on your career in football.”
Be part of the game, become a referee here.