Referee convention membership still growing

Four more European national football associations have joined the UEFA Convention on Referee Education and Organisation.

Following ratification by the UEFA Executive Committee at its recent meeting in Limassol, the FAs of Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Croatia and San Marino have joined the convention, which now has 47 full members, with Liechtenstein the one partial member. The Executive Committee has also agreed to the extension of the Referee Convention for a further four years from 2012/13 to 2015/16.

The Referee Convention aims to enhance referee education, promoting the role of the referee and improving refereeing structures and development within Europe. When they sign the convention, associations subscribe to a development plan for refereeing and become entitled to receive a financial contribution for their work, as well as further annual payments as long as the required standards are maintained.