We have arranged a mentoring course for anybody interested in becoming a mentor on Thursday 26th January at Beversbrook Sports Facility, Calne, SN11 9FL running between 6pm-8pm.

It is important that when a referee needs extra support they can come to us and we can get a mentor to his games to build his / her confidence.

What’s Involved in Being a Mentor?

Mentors are asked to watch the people to whom they are allocated as they officiate from time to time. The key points for any Mentor to remember when watching a referee are to:

*say “Well Done!”
*ask the referee how he or she feels about the game
*congratulate the referee on the three strongest features of his or her game, encouraging them to maintain those strengths
*discuss possible solutions to the weakest feature of the referee’s game

Who Can be a Mentor?

The key characteristics of a good Mentor are friendliness, approachability and patience. Experience as a referee is helpful but it’s not necessary for this to be particularly lengthy. In many ways, someone who qualified a year or so ago will be an ideal Mentor for someone who is newly-qualified as the issues that challenge a new referee will still be fresh in the mind of the Mentor. Even if the Mentor doesn’t know the answer to every particular question, he or she will normally know who can provide it.

If you would like to attend the Referee Mentor course please contact Shane.Comb@wiltshirefa.com

FA Mentoring Adults

In addition to this course we are also running an FA Mentoring Adults course for coaches. The same skills are transferable to any mentor role. If you chose to attend this course it will allow you to mentor referees and coaches. For more information and to book onto the course please click HERE

Course Content:

* Understanding the role of the Mentor and principles of effective mentoring
* Understanding and appreciating the required interpersonal skills of the Mentor
* Exploring strategies for mentoring
* Demonstrating the ability to use core mentoring interpersonal skills, observation, giving accurate feedback, active listening, questioning and reflection.
* Understanding mentoring assessment, feedback, and goal setting processes
* Considering the importance of reflection as a tool for learning
* Exploring CPD and reflective Action Planning opportunities for Mentors to consider their future development