Northern Suburbs Football Referees Association FAQs

The NSFRA is the Northern Suburbs Football Referees Association. The Northern Suburbs Football Association (NSFA) announced on 10 August 2023 that they would be using the NSFRA exclusively to appoint match officials for NSFA competitions starting with 2023 Summer Football. 

There are so many different reasons to become a referee. It’s a great way to:
1. Earn some extra money
2. Give back to the game you love
3. Stay fit and active
4. Build leadership skills like effective communication and decision-making

Any referee can join the NSFRA. Registrations for the 2025 Winter season are open HERE

To become a referee, you must be 13 years of age or over and you will need to complete the Football Australia Online Laws of the Game Course as well as completing a Level 4 Referee Course.

STEP 1: The Football Australia Online Laws of the Game Course provides a basic introduction to the Laws of the Game and their interpretation. To successfully complete the course, a participant needs to pass the online examination and print their Statement of Completion Certificate.
STEP 2: The Level 4 Referee Course provides participants with education and training to become a referee. Once you have registered on the Football Australia platform (etrainu), you can complete the online theory modules for the Level 4 Course. Once these are completed, you can  sign up for and complete the Practical component of the course, run by NSFRA Coaches.

Yes, the NSFRA will be running Level 4 Referee Courses for brand new referees on the following dates:
TBC

Registrations to referee in the 2025 Winter season are open HERE. Registrations are valid for the whole of 2025 (including Summer Football)
If you intend to register for the 2025 Winter season – you can register your interest here: https://nsfa.asn.au/nsfra/stay-connected-with-nsfra/ 

To register for 2025 Winter Football the cost is $100 for returning referees (who have already completed the course) and $120 for brand new referees (have not yet completed the course)
Note: This does not include the $30 fee to Football Australia for new referees to do the course.

This registration is effective for the whole of 2025 (includes 2025 Summer Football Competitions). New Referees receive shirts x3, shorts, socks, whistle, flags, cards + notebook with their registration.

The referee match payments for 2025 Football NSW community football competitions can be found HERE. Referees are paid weekly, typically within 7 days of officiated matches.

Note: a 10% levy is taken out of referee payments to fund the operations of the NSFRA including providing support to registered referees.

Referees are contacted regularly by the NSFRA with weekly updates and information.

Information on the NSFRA has been set up on the NSFA website including how to become a referee and course dates: https://nsfa.asn.au/nsfra/become-a-referee/.

Follow NSFRA on Facebook and Instagram.
The NSFRA are again planning to hold member events where all referees are invited to attend. In 2024 the NSFRA held 3 events at Club Turramurra to welcome, support and recognise our referees. This included a Launch Event where gear was handed out, a mid-season social involving a talk from FIFA Referee Matthew Breeze and an End of Season Event that saw the inaugural NSFRA awards presented.

During the 2025 Winter season, the NSFRA will be running weekly referee training sessions for all referees that wish to attend. This includes a mix of practical and theory sessions as well as recovery sessions run by NSFRA sponsor PhysioInq.

Alongside the weekly training sessions, the NSFRA utilises its number of Referee coaches to provide referees with direct coaching and mentoring. This is considered especially important for new referees but is also available upon request for all referees – contact the Referees Manager (referees@nsfra.com.au)

Game Leaders are Juniors aged between 12-16 who wish to gain experience refereeing, offering a great pathway to becoming a qualified Referee. All Game Leaders are required to attend a 1-hour Workshop and will receive a Game Leader Shirt, whistle and NSFRA notebook. Find more information on Game Leaders HERE