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Level 4 Referees Course – May 2026

Are you interested in refereeing? The May course is now open for the 2026 season with Bankstown Referees!

Course Details:
📅 Monday, 18 May 2026
📍 Kelso South Park
⏰ 6:30pm – 9:00pm

Why referee with Bankstown?
✅ Free refereeing gear
💰 Get paid to keep fit
🤝 Strong mentoring and support
📚 Training and development opportunities
🌱 A positive, inclusive refereeing community

Refereeing is a fantastic way to stay involved in the game, build confidence, and develop valuable skills—both on and off the field.

Register for one of our FREE Level 4 Referee Courses and get out on the pitch now! https://bdafa.com.au/2026-referee-courses-expression-of-interest/

We are Excited to announce Trials for upcoming Association Championships will be held this coming Wednesday 15th April 2026 – 6pm at Middleton Reserve, 41 Smith St, Yagoona.

Please arrive 15min prior to the trials and make sure you bring water, boots and shinpads. 

We are also pleased to share that Bankstown is committed to keeping football accessible for families. Thanks to sponsorship support, registration fees have been kept low, with the cost set at $100.00

Players MUST be registered participants in the BDAFA association to be eligible to represent Bankstown.

The Association Championships will be held in Mudgee from 7th to 9th July.

🏆 Age Groups

Boys

• Under 13 (born 2013)

• Under 14 (born 2012)

Girls

• Under 14 (born 2012)

• Under 15 (born 2011)

We encourage all eligible players who are committed, enthusiastic, and ready to represent the Association to submit their EOI.

📩 How to Apply:
Please submit your Expression of Interest by 15th March 2026 via

BDAFA is now calling for Expressions of Interest from suitably qualified and experienced coaches for the upcoming Association Championships.

The association will be entering teams for the following age groups:

• Boys: Under 13 and Under 14
• Girls: Under 14 and Under 15

The Championships will be held in Mudgee from Tuesday 7th to Thursday 9th of July.

Applicants must hold a minimum Foundation of Football qualification (or higher) and possess a current Working With Children Check and agree to meet all other requirements of FNSW and BDAFA.

Coaches who are passionate about player development, teamwork, and representing the BDAFA are encouraged to apply. Successful applicants will be expected to deliver training sessions, lead teams during the Championships, and work collaboratively with team staff and Association representatives.

If you are interested, please submit your Expression of Interest outlining your coaching experience, qualifications, and preferred age group(s) by 5pm, Monday 16th March 2026 via

Should you require further information, please do not hesitate to contact the BDAFA office on 9771 -3322

Looking to stay active, have fun, and meet a great group of women? We’re inviting ladies aged 40 and over to join us for some relaxed, friendly Friday night football this summer!

Whether you’ve played before or are completely new to the game, this is a fun, supportive, and social way to kick off your weekend. No pressure – just good vibes, a bit of exercise, and plenty of laughs.

📍 When & Where:

Friday evenings from 7:00 PM, commencing Friday 10th October 2025
📅 Runs for 10 weeks plus a 1–2 week finals series

📍 Location: Padstow Park Synthetic

💵 Cost: $100.00

👟 What to Expect:

• Small-sided games 6 v 6

• Full kit supplied (Jersey Shorts Socks)

• No experience needed

• Great atmosphere

• Open to all fitness levels

So if you’re over 40 and fancy giving football a go (or getting back into it), we’d love to have you! Drop us a message on bdafa_admin@bdafa.com.au

OR complete the below single player nomination form and we will place you in a team!

Let’s get the ball rolling – see you on the pitch! ⚽💪

Thank you for your continued patience. We’d like to provide an important update regarding the remainder of the 2025 season and outline the steps moving forward.

1. Over 45’s Competition

• The washed-out round from last night will be played this weekend (Saturday 23rd or Sunday 24th August 2025) and followed by a two-week final’s series.
• If this weekend’s matches are also washed out, they will be rescheduled to Monday 25th August or Tuesday 26th August.
• Should those rescheduled matches also be washed out, results will be determined as per competition regulations, and the two-week finals series will begin on Saturday 30th or Sunday 31st August.

2. Saturday Teams – Field Availability

Please be advised that all Saturday teams, in the event of limited field availability, matches may be rescheduled to Sunday. Mid-week fixtures may also be considered as an alternative for all competitions not just those scheduled on a Saturday.

3. Washouts – 23rd/24th August

• If matches on the 23rd or 24th August are washed out, the competition will be pushed back to the 6th and 7th September. Those competitions scheduled for a 6^th and 7^th Grand Final (3 weeks series) being BPL, BDL, 14 Div 2, AAM 8, if round 1 of finals remain unplayed, will now become a 2-week finals Series.

4. Washouts – 30th/31st August

• The office will be sending out an email TODAY to each club participating in finals, requesting them to advise which teams may be able to play finals beyond the 6^th and 7^th September. When you receive this email, can you please consult the teams listed in the email and have a response back to the office no later than Monday 9am 25^th August 2025 to allow us to plan and prioritise competitions.

BDAFA are committed to providing a completed competition and four team finals series for our participants, we are however at the mercy of the weather. Therefore, we must table two last report options that we may need to action if we experience ongoing weather disruptions.

1. A 1^st v 2^nd Finals Series
2. Declaration of Premiers as the Champions of the competitions that we have been unable to complete.

Please Note: The above two options will only be implemented when all other options have been exhausted.

Thank you

Board Directive

Following the incident on Friday the 28th of April 2023, The Board convened to review our regulations to increase referee safety, wellbeing and increase participation & spectator satisfaction.

The Board has made the changes detailed below which will be implemented commencing Friday 5th May 2023 at 5pm.

The measures are strong, and the Board will continue to review other changes and communicate them when finalised.

Protecting Referees on Game Day

Before the game, at half time and at full-time, some Registered Team Officials (“RTOs” that is, Coaches and Managers) consider it their right to question or worse, argue or abuse referees about their decisions during a game.

Although many Coaches and Managers are respectful, and the request is genuine, this interaction allows for potential abuse / arguing.  We have had reports from as recently as last weekend of such unacceptable interactions.

1. Approaching a Match Official  

• No RTO or Spectator is to approach a Centre Referee, Assistant Referee, Referees Coach or Referee Assessor to question any decisions made by the Referees, be it before, during or after the game.
• Should an RTO breach the above, they will be issued a red card, and will result in the game being abandoned. The game will be awarded to the non-offending team as a forfeit 3-0 victory or at the score of the game at the time if the non-offending team is up by more than a margin of 3 goals. Further to the loss via forfeit, the offending team will have a further 3 points deducted from their competition points for the season.
• Should an RTO have a question stemming from a game, they are to follow the correct procedure of putting their feedback or questions in writing to the BDAFA office via their Club Secretary.
• Players, including captains, are also not permitted to question a referee, this is to be administered as per the Laws of the game.

2. Dissent or Use of Offensive and/or Insulting and/or Abusive Language “OIAL” by RTO

Currently, Dissent by an RTO is handled by them being issued with a yellow card and the game continues.

From Friday 5th May 5pm, should an RTO be issued with two yellow cards for yellow card offences including dissent, they will be issued with a Red and the game will be abandoned.

From the same date, if an RTO uses Offensive and/or Insulting and/or Abusive Language against a referee, assistant referee, 4th official, or referee mentor or referee assessor, they will be issued with a Red Card and the game will be abandoned.

The game will be awarded to the non-offending team as a forfeit 3-0 victory or at the score of the game at the time if the non-offending team is up by more than a margin of 3 goals. Further to the loss via forfeit, the offending team will have a further 3 points deducted from their competition points for the season.

Offence Table  

Body Camera’s

BDAFA will be trialing body cameras on MPL games from the 5th of May 2023 onwards. The Body Cameras will be worn by the Referees.

Once the trial is running and we have evaluated its effectiveness, we will look to roll out Body Cameras in other competitions.

The cameras will remain the property of the Association and the data on them.

Guard of Honour

In an effort to display Bankstown Footballs unity and respect for Match Officials, The Board issue the following Directive for games being held on the 5th, 6th & 7th of May 2023.

All games that have a Match Official present on the 5th, 6th & 7th of May 2023, teams are asked to form a Guard of Honour at the commencement and conclusion of each game. Each club should line up at halfway on the sideline to allow the referees to enter the pitch between both teams lined up.

We want to actively demonstrate to the BDR, that our participants care and support them, and anti-social behaviour is not welcome in our game or Bankstown.

Kind Regards

The BDAFA Board.

Register to be a Referee!

The Cost to register with BDR Referees in 2023 will be $0 – FREE !

If you are a new Referee in the Bankstown District you will be provided with a Referee kit free of Charge.

To register as a referee: https://registration.dribl.com/club/1585

2023 Referees Incentives:

For the 2023 Season, BDAFA have developed an incentives program to encourage people to take up refereeing.

All Referees in 2023

Training:

• If you attend 5 Referee training sessions: You will receive a bonus of $100 at the end of the Season

Games Refereed:

• There will be a target system in place for the number of games you referee throughout the year! Once the season is finished, if you reach one of the below game targets you will receive one of the following bonuses.

End of the year Raffle:

• There will be a raffle at the end of the year for a referee’s chance to win $1000!!!
• To enter the raffle, you must referee a minimum of 40 games to receive a ticket.
  • A referee will receive an extra ticket for each target they reach e.g., 50+ and 60+ games refereed.