His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales, Visits FA Grassroots Refereeing Course

His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales, Patron of the Football Association, visited one of the FA’s referee training programmes on Tuesday. Staffordshire FA collaborated with the FA to bring the Reflective and Representative campaign to Sporting Khalsa FC.

During his visit, The Prince of Wales engaged with both course tutors and participants, listening to their experiences and learning about the importance of widening access to refereeing for young people from diverse backgrounds.

As part of the visit, His Royal Highness took part in a session focused on understanding different types of fouls and the correct use of yellow and red cards. He then joined participants on the pitch for practical exercises, including whistle and flag signal drills, before officiating a mini football match alongside the trainees.

Adam Evans, Staffordshire FA Chief Executive said: “We were honoured to support the FA in welcoming His Royal Highness to Staffordshire and showcase the work being done to inspire the next generation of match officials.

“We want people of all backgrounds to have equal opportunities right across the game. In October last year, we launched our four-year strategy which aims at ‘Supporting Staffordshire Football to Enhance Our Communities’ and this is just one example of what we strive to achieve across our county.”

The FA’s ‘To Grow, Guide and Govern’ refereeing strategy, launched in July 2023, reflects a strong commitment to improving diversity within refereeing. The strategy includes expanding the number of courses offered, increasing bursary support, and improving diversity in refereeing roles.

A new mentoring programme, developed with BAMREF, is also helping referees from Black, Asian, and Mixed Heritage backgrounds advance through the grassroots system with additional guidance and support.