If football is to be taken seriously at the level of Footballsouth Premier League, a full team of three officials is absolutely necessary.
Former Otago United coach Malcolm Fleming has just moved to Perth and said the refereeing situation there was vastly different.
Football costs in general seemed much higher there, he said. He was also on the Footballsouth board of management before he left.
''There seems to be no critical shortage of match officials or funds to attract them. State League referees receive match fees of $175 per game, and linesmen $87.50. Even at youth level, referees controlling under-18 matches get paid $80 with liners receiving $40,'' Fleming said.
''In some cases, those refs who do youth games, can also do lines in a senior match to add even more to their total income. Women's and masters officials earn about the same per match as the under-18s.''
Footballsouth and its referees may want to consider adjustments, since the present $40 FPL refereeing fee has not changed during the last five years.
Recruiting new trainees is an ongoing priority for new referee development officer Wilson James and senior assessor Chris Boyd, who has stepped down to a diminished role recently.
Several seasons ago, Otago had a ''fast track'' in place for players willing to make the switch, and many in the masters ranks seriously considered taking up the whistle.
In some ways the dearth of local referees actually does make for rapid advancement and an attractive career path for players. Top matches and trips to Oceania tournaments, Olympics and even World Cups are possible, and have been achieved by the likes of Otago's Brent Best, and Linda Ritchie.
Fleming, the former Green Island coach, is still keenly interested in how his old FPL team is doing, and can only be happy at its unbeaten run under new coach Craig Doble.
Level at the top of the FPL table with University, the unbeaten Green Island side has made an impeccable start, scoring six goals and conceding none.
Green Island plays Mosgiel at Sunnyvale today and what has developed into a tough annual derby will test the Plainsmen who have yet to win.
Also tied at the top of the FPL are University and Dunedin Technical, so there should be a few sparks when those two teams meet in the match of the day at the Caledonian Ground.
Caversham plays Queenstown at Tonga Park, and after last week's seven yellow cards, Queenstown coach Steve Henderson might struggle to balance team discipline with the aggression required to contain Tim Horner's rampant side, which scored five goals last week.
After losing last week, Roslyn-Wakari needs maximum points from Grants Braes at Ellis Park to stay in touch with the leaders, and possibly in the most balanced fixture, Old Boys will seek another win at home in Invercargill from coach Murray Devereux's visiting Northern side.
All FPL matches start at 2.45pm and tomorrow a full round of women's premier matches will be played at 1pm. Roslyn-Wakari plays University at Logan Park, Northern plays Tech Premier at the Gardens, and Tech Diamonds play Green Island at Culling Park.
