After a few weeks of waving flags, blowing whistles and arguing over exactly what makes someone offside, our Basic Referee Training came to an end last week with that most dreaded of things – the exam. Luckily we’d done a mock exam just days earlier to reassure us all of what would be involved, so there’d be problems with the real thing. Would there?

Just in case, I crammed in some last minute revision in the car park whilst wolfing down a sandwich – nothing was ever achieved by a man on an empty stomach. Strolling into the room we’d be using over the past few weeks, everyone seemed at ease, ready to get the exam out of the way before they got into the actual refereeing. Until we got the paper, turned it over and began…

It was harder than we thought. The mock exam, rather than calming our fears, had given us a false sense of confidence. An important point that the course tutors point out is that on the exam, your answers have to be according to the letter of the law. So, while you might let somethings go on a park on a Sunday morning – something that Premier League refs are often praised for – on the exam paper you had to play by the book.

Thankfully, the whole thing was pretty brief, and we didn’t have to wait long to find out how we’d done. Much like the quiz night at your local, you swop papers with another table, and then go through the answers one by one. You even get the same ‘oohs’ and ‘argh, I knew it was that!’ that you’d normally get in the general knowledge round as well.

Luckily, I passed. A few didn’t though, and will have to try the test again in a month if they want to continue on the road to being a ref. For me, I’m now on the first rung of the ladder. I have my kit! But no reason to wear it – yet. The next stage for a referee is to contact local associations, and ask to be assigned to a match. You have to go through six games and be assessed by a qualified referee before you can then step up to the next level. I’ve decided to stick a toe in the water by trying out in a junior game – less chance of abuse from the players being the theory! I’ll let you know how I get on with that one…