matthew jarvis, England

Hi Mike I am a special needs person but i would like to take up refereeing, would there be any point me going on a course as I have a ADHD or do you think i should not bother?

Football and Refereeing very much promotes social inclusion and there no barriers for anyone to take part. I am aware that there are a number of people who participate successfully with conditions similar to yourself, therefore if you are interested in refereeing I would suggest that you contact either your local County FA or the FA on 0207 745 4651 to obtain details of future courses in your area. I am also aware that all County FA's will support you through the process of becoming a referee. May I wish you well if you do decide to take up the whistle I am sure you will enjoy it!

Neil Birkitt, England

jewellery? on local players refuse to take their plain wedding bands of and they say that it is against the law for me to ask them to take it off.i allow themto play ,what would you advise me to do in these situations?

The law is very specific in that no jewellery can be worn by a player. If they refuse to take off their jewellery report the matter to the County Football Association and inform them that the game does not go ahead.

Ryan Hibbard, England

You have been on the national list of referees for over 10 years. Did you ever think that you would not get onto the premier league list?

During my eleven years as a national list referee my “goal” was always to be promoted to the Select Group of Referees, and I was really pleased to achieve this promotion a couple of weeks after my 40th birthday.

Robert Jackson, England

Why do referees let players cheat so much? I have in mind goalkeepers who regularly keep hold of the ball for more than 6 seconds who never get penalised and defenders who are rarely far enough away from the ball when an attacking free kick is taken? What is the point of having laws if referees always ignore them?

All 17 laws of the game are important and must be applied consistently from game to game. On all Select Group and National List games an assessor observers the Referees performance and I would expect that such acts are detailed as areas for improvement.