The Football Association have launched a new online ‘Guide to the Laws of the Game’ which will help improve understanding of the laws of the game, and the variations for youth football.

Across five sections/modules, which take around 90 minutes to complete, videos are used throughout to demonstrate how the law should be applied. There are activities to reinforce all the key points within the guide, which is available free of charge and is relevant for any football role.

There are some questions at the end of each module, all of which must be answered correctly to successfully complete the learning. Anyone who wants to become a referee must complete this learning before then attending The FA’s new face-to-face training course, which will be available as soon as Government guidance allows.

Module 1 (‘Before the Match’) covers the referee’s pre-match responsibilities, including ensuring players’ kit is safe, how to carry out the coin toss and what a referee needs to take with them to a match.

Module 2 (‘Signals and Communication’) contains short video clips (GIFs) which show every signal the referee and assistant referee might give during a match.

Module 3 (‘Getting it Right’) deals with foul challenges, violent conduct, handball, unsporting behaviour, denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity (DOGSO) offences and advantage. It uses video clips from football at different levels to show how the referee should manage common scenarios.

Module 4 (‘Offside’) also uses video clips, this time to demonstrate what is and isn’t offside and how the referee should manage offside offences. The clips, like those used in the ‘Getting it Right’ module, are voiced over to explain the decisions the referees make.

Module 5 (‘Managing Restarts and Set-Pieces’) covers restarts and set pieces, including goal kicks, corner kicks, throw-ins, free kicks and penalty kicks. It uses both video and illustrations to clarify what players must do at each restart and set piece and explains what the referee should do if players don’t comply with the law.

Click here to find out more about the learning, or to sign-up. You can also keep up-to-date on the latest grassroots football news by following @EssexCountyFA and @EssexReferees on Twitter and by searching for ‘EssexFootball’ on Facebook.

FA Refereeing Mental Health Champion Scheme

Are you a current or former referee, referee coach or referee mentor? Are you committed to promoting positive mental health in refereeing and everyday life? Would you like to be part of the first mental health champion scheme for referees and match officials? The FA are currently looking to recruit a voluntary Mental Health Champion.

The aim of the Mental Health Champion role is to help The FA's Refereeing Department to create a culture which promotes positive mental health and to encourage referees, and those involved in refereeing, to talk about mental health, tackling the stigma.

Operating on a flexible basis for around two hours a week, there will also be a responsibility to support referees with, or with the potential to have, mental health problems, as well as signposting them to sources of professional support. Further details can be found below, with an application deadline of 9:00am on Monday 22nd March.