Touch Football's New Accreditation Structure

Touch Football Australia has recently changed the accreditation structure for referees, which has seen the number of tiers reduced and re-aligned towards the Australian Sport Commission’s ‘modern officiating approach’. This long-awaited change is part of an in-depth review into the referee structures in the sport, which has resulted in a better-aligned system for referee education, training, and development.

» Read more about the new referee education framework.

What's changed?

There are now four tiers within the touch football referee education/accreditation structure in Australia:

  1. Affiliate Referee
  2. Representative Graded Referee
  3. State Graded Referee
  4. National Graded Referee

Affiliate Referee

Prerequisites:
- 12 years or older
- complete Affiliate Referee course (in-person)

Assessment: in-course

Awarded: immediately after course completion

The "Affiliate Referee" replaces Level 1 as the entry-level accreditation in the sport. It is awarded after completing a three (3) hour face-to-face course, conducted by a TFA-accredited Facilitator. There are no longer any e-learning requirements for the first step as a referee, and participants will be awarded their accreditation immediately after attending the in-person course.

Representative Grading

Prerequisites:
- current Affiliate Referee
- 13 years or older
- complete ASC Community Officiating Essential Skills course (online)
- complete Representative Referee Theory Course (online)

Assessment: by state-approved panel at relevant state-sanctioned representative event only

Awarded: after successful on-field assessment

As the next step in the structure, being graded as a "Representative" referee replaces both Level 2 and Level 3. The process can be started at any time by an Affiliate referee (formerly Level 1), simply by completing the Representative Referee Theory course which is now entirely online. On-field, performance-based assessment is then conducted at a state-sanctioned event such as a junior representative event, school representative event, or state league, after which successful referees will be awarded their Representative grading. There is no minimum time required between completing the Affiliate referee course and commencing the Representative grading pathway, however a referee must be at least 13 years of age, and been endorsed by their local association, in order to receive their Representative grading.

State Grading

Prerequisites:
- hold Representative grading for at least six (6) months
- 16 years or older

Assessment: by state panel at relevant premier state-level event only

Awarded: after successful on-field assessments

The "State" referee grading replaces Level 4 and Level 5 and is awarded based on a referee's performance only at premier state-level events which have been approved by Touch Football Australia and each relevant state body. A referee must also be at least 16 years of age, have held their Representative grading for at least six (6) months, and been endorsed by their local association and regional/state body in order to be eligible for their State grading.

National Grading

Prerequisites:
- hold State grading for at least six (6) months
- 18 years or older

Assessment: by national panel at open/senior-level national championships only

Awarded: after successful on-field assessments 

The "National" referee grading replaces Level 6 as the pinnacle in the sport and is awarded only to those referees who demonstrate consistently high performance at Touch Football Australia's national championships. A referee must also be at least 18 years of age, have held their State grading for at least six (6) months, and received endorsement from their state body in order to be eligible for their National grading.

What happens to my existing accreditation?

If you're already accredited as a referee by Touch Football Australia, then your accreditation has automatically been mapped over to the new structure:

  • Affiliate: all existing Level 1 referees
  • Representative: all existing Level 2 and Level 3 referees
  • State: all existing Level 4 and Level 5 referees
  • National: all existing Level 6 referees

What if I have completed an old course?

If you've just completed your Level 1 course, or are enrolled to do it soon, then you will automatically become an Affiliate Referee at the end of your course.

If you're already a Level 1 referee and have completed your Level 2 Theory course (under the old accreditation system), then you will need to complete the Representative Theory course (online) in order to commence your journey towards Representative grading. This course will be automatically assigned to you in TFA's The Nest free of charge.

Note: The TTRA will work with all existing Level 1 referees who have completed their Level 2 Theory course and help guide them through the changeover process.

If you're an existing Level 2 referee, then you'll automatically receive your Representative grading and won't need to complete the Representative Theory course in order to maintain it.

Are there new referee badges?

Yes - Touch Football Australia has created new badges to reflect the new system, but you won't need to rush out to get one just yet! TFA will be presenting all active National referees (i.e. those attending the NTL Championships in 2025) with their new National Referee badge and will then work through the process for all other grades. During the transition process, "status quo" will still be maintained, so you won't need to purchase or find a new badge. Once more information is available, TFA will communicate it to all referees.

What criteria will I be assessed on to receive my grading?

Touch Football Australia-trained Referee Coaches will assess the following areas, and you'll be rated on how consistently well you perform in each. While the five areas remain the same across all referee grades, each grade will naturally have increasingly higher standards.

  1. Communication
  2. Game Awareness and Positioning
  3. 7m Control
  4. Whistle and Signals
  5. Systems, Processes and Outcomes

What development opportunities will be available to referees?

One of the biggest additions to the sport's referee education space will come in the form of regular referee development workshops and modules. These will be provided in various ways by Touch Football Australia and the state bodies, at several times throughout the year, so that every referee of every age, ability, and grade, can get access to up-to-date techniques, methods, networking, and skill development, regardless of their representative interest.

So, what is the TTRA's role in referee education now?

The fundamental role of the Townsville Touch Referees Association (TTRA) won't change, because we'll still be responsible for "on the ground" coaching and development opportunities for all of our members.

The only roles we've "lost"? We will no longer need to conduct Level 2 Theory and Level 3 Theory courses, because these have merged into the Representative Theory course which is now entirely online. We will also no longer need to complete on-field assessments to upgrade referees to higher levels (i.e. Level 2), as the new Representative grading will only occur at representative events.

What we've gained instead is more time to run in-person development activities, which initially we will do in-place of the Level 2 and Level 3 theory sessions that we've previously organised. While open to referees of all grades, we'll target these activities towards those referees who have completed the new Representative Theory course to help prepare them to step into the touch football representative pathway.