Referee Engagement

Minor Grade Advisory Panel

This panel has been led by Craig King Snr for a number of years and is aimed at providing assistance and advice to referees in categories 5-7.  Whether you have been refereeing for six months or thirty years, there area always areas for improvement in your game.  Minor Grade Advisors will attend your game and make their observations and notes throughout, both positive and negative.  The referee will be given a debrief by their advisor after the match and a written report will be submitted to Craig King Snr.  Members are actively encouraged to keep in regular contact with Craig in order to be assessed on a regular basis, to ensure that they are continuing to improve and maintain a high standard of refereeing.  We would like Renfrewshire to maintain its very good reputation with local leagues in term of refereeing standards.  The panel currently consists of:

  • Craig King Snr
  • Gilbert Carmichael
  • Brian McNelis
  • William Insch
  • Paul Elliot
  • John Campbell
  • Gary Toland
  • Elaine McMillan

Female Refereeing Ambassador

Elaine McMillan is Renfrewshire RA’s ambassador for female refereeing.  Elaine provides a support role for our female members, a point of contact for any matter related to refereeing.  Understandably, it can be quite daunting being one of the few females within an association, therefore it is beneficial to have a point of contact for any issues or guidance which they may require.  Elaine can either provide the assistance or guide the referee to the appropriate person who can help.  All female members are encouraged to attend our monthly meetings, weekly training sessions and also SFA Female meetings which occur 3-4 times per season.  There is also a buddy scheme which was put in place by the SFA so that each female referee has a buddy who they are directly associated with.


Youth Referee Ambassador

Michael Bonnar is the Youth Ambassador for Renfrewshire RA.  Much like Elaine’s role, Michael’s is one which is aimed at supporting our association referees who are aged 16-26.  Michael will aim to create a community feel for our young referees, implementing a buddy system and maintaining a group chat where the members can discuss any issues they have or seek advice from each other.  Michael will also make the Youth Ambassador of Refereeing (currently Vikki Allan of Edinburgh RA) aware of any positives within our association that are working but also anything that could be improved upon.  He will assist with the recruitment and retention of referees in Renfrewshire RA. Young referees will also be encouraged to attend training, meetings and regional training days.  Michael will also attend ‘Youth Congress’ debriefs when required.