Track and Field pathway

Smiling female field officials at long jump

Levels 1 to 3 became the responsibility of the Home Countries on 1 October 2023. The track and field pathway can begin at Assistant Official or Level 1; Assistant Official is not a pre-requisite for Level 1.

Track and Field officials' pathway in England

Notes:

  1. Level 2 Starter: minimum of 10 practical experiences as a Starter and minimum of 10 practical experiences as a Starter’s Assistant.
  2. Level 3 Starter: minimum of 15 practical experiences as a Starter and minimum of 5 practical experiences as a Starter’s Assistant.
    Level 3 Starter's Assistant: minimum of 20 practical experiences as a Starter’s Assistant.
  3. 'What did I learn' section optional.
  4. 'What did I learn' section mandatory.
  5. By a Level 2 official (of 2 or more years) or above.
  6. By a Level 3 official (of 2 or more years) or above – including one as a chief/referee at a suitable level meeting.* 
  7. Wherever possible, by a Level 4 official (of 2 or more years) who is also on the national list.
    Must include each of: team member (x2), out of area, technology report  EDM/SIS/photofinish,  referee or chief, clerk of course (track/field only) or additional team member.

* If there is not a higher-level official in your chosen discipline to write the Level 3 chief's report, evidence of acting as a chief/referee at suitable level meeting must be included within the Record of Experience. This must be supported with confirmation of you fulfilling the role of chief/referee by the event organiser/meeting manager of that meeting. In such cases, a minimum of 2 team member reports are required.

Webinar

In April 2024, we held a webinar on the pathway. This covered:

  • Engagement with Officials’ community across the Home Countries
  • Level 1, 2 and 3 pathways – Track/Field and Endurance
  • Discipline Feedback Sheet

Watch recording (youtube) | Download FAQ (PDF 80kB)

Steps on the pathway

Select an option below to view more information about each pathway step.

Track and Field pathway: Assistant Official

Attend

Complete

  • Complete a DBS check (aged 16 and over) via MyAthletics Portal; go to Apply/Renew DBS and complete short form.
    –  or complete a self-declaration (under 16).
  • Complete the health and safety self-paced online module
  • Complete the safeguarding self-paced online module (aged 16 and over)

Submit

Track and Field pathway: Level 1

Attend

Complete

Next steps: putting your training into practice

Track and Field pathway: Level 2

Attend

  • Complete all steps at Level 1.
  • Complete Level 2 discipline-specific questions found on My Athletics Portal > Useful Documents > Officials.

Collect

  • Officiate at a minimum of ten additional meetings since Level 1.
    • Starter: 10 experiences as a starter AND 10 experiences as a starter’s assistant.
  • Complete Record of Experience
    • ‘What did I learn’ section optional.
    • Record of Experience should include evidence of shadowing, event leader / chief judge / referee at league or County level meeting.
  • Evidence of practical experience across all field events (Field Judges only)
  • A minimum of one discipline feedback sheet
    • By a Level 2 official (of 2 or more years) or above.
    • This should be from league or County level meetings.

Contact your County Officials’ Secretary (COfSec) for any support.

Submit

All documents can be found on My Athletics Portal > Useful Documents > Official

Note: if you haven’t heard back from us within 3 weeks, contact us on above email address.

Track and Field pathway: Level 3

Attend

  • Complete all steps at Level 2.

Collect

  • A minimum of 20 additional meetings since Level 2.
    • Starter: minimum of 15 practical experiences as a starter and minimum of 5 practical experiences as a starter’s assistant since Level 2.
    • Starter’s assistant: minimum of 20 practical experiences as a starter’s assistant since Level 2.
  • Complete Record of Experience
    • showing evidence of acting as referee / chief (at county / area level meeting).
    • ‘What did I learn’ section mandatory.
  • Two positive report (all reports by a  Level 3 official (of 2 or more years) or above – including one as a chief/referee at a suitable level meeting) at area / regional level meetings.
    • Field: Two reports covering the roles of event leader / chief judge / referee; application of long-throw protocol and competent use of EDM.
    • Photofinish: Two reports as a team member – covering all duties and at least one of the reports using Finish Lynx equipment.
    • Race Walking: Two reports as a team member.
    • Starter: One report as a chief Starter and one report as a Starter’s Assistant
    • Starter’s Assistant: One report as a chief Starter’s Assistant and one report as a Starter’s Assistant.
    • Timekeeping: One report as a chief timekeeping and one report as a team member. 85% of times within +/- 0.10 seconds.
    • Track: One assessment as a team leader / chief judge / referee and one assessment as a team member or an additional assessment as a team leader / chief judge / referee.

Contact your County Officials’ Secretary (COfSec) or your area upgrading secretary to arrange these.

Submit

to your Tri-Regional Upgrading Secretary:

All documents can be found on My Athletics Portal > Useful Documents > Officials

Track and Field pathway: Level 4

Attend

  • Complete all steps at Level 3.
  • Register and attend Level 4 Officials Course and a technology module of chosen discipline. This is facilitated by UK Athletics.

Collect

  • Include evidence of mentoring and self reflection within Record of Experience.
  • Officiate at a minimum of 30 additional athletics meetings over two years (three years for photofinish).
  • Obtain a minimum of six positive reports (by a Level 4 for 2+ years, wherever possible also on the National List).
    • Two reports as a team member
    • One report from out of area
    • One report using technology (e.g. EDM / SIS / photofinish)
    • One report as referee / chief
    • One report as Clerk of Course (track / field disciplines only), or additional team member report (all other disciplines)

Contact your Tri-Regional Upgrading Secretary to arrange these.

Submit

Download the guidelines for presenting applications for Level 4 (PDF 150kB).

Roles and Responsibilities of Level 1-3 officials

Level 1
  • Act as a judge in the respective discipline.
  • Officiate under supervision of a level 2 official.
  • Able to officiate on long throws events in the area of the throws sector (Field only).
  • Not able to act as a referee or equivalent (all disciplines).
  • Not able to able to act as chief judge for individual field events including long throws.
Level 2
  • Act as a judge in the respective discipline and as a clerk of course
  • Act as a clerk of course to prepare event sites and associated tasks thereafter.
  • Act as chief judge/Leader, on field events – this includes long throws.
  • Act as Referee/Chief for meetings at club/league/county level e.g. chief timekeeper, chief photofinish, field/track referee, chief starter, chief starter’s assistant
  • Able to complete feedback sheets for officials seeking to upgrade to level 2, after having served 2 years as a level 2 official.
  • Not able to act as a referee (all disciplines) at regional level.
Level 3
  • Act as a judge in the respective discipline.
  • Act as referee/Chief for meetings at league/county and regional levels.
  • Act as a technical manager or clerk of course at county and regional levels.
  • Able to write reports for officials seeking to upgrade to Level 2.
  • Able to write reports for officials seeking to upgrade to Level 3, after having served 2 years as a Level 3 official.

Record of Experience

Completing your Record of Experience (RoE) is an excellent way to record the experience, skills and knowledge gained at the events you have attended. It can also assist your mentor/ COfSec/ Tri-Region in supporting your development and progression.

Your Record of Experience can be accessed by logging onto MyAthletics Portal using your licence number and password. This login is the same for Athletics Hub to access course resources/ course bookings).

  • Click on ‘Record of Experience’ tab (located on left-hand side)
  • Add record
  • Complete the relevant fields/using the drop-down menus.
  • Click Save.

To download your Record of Experience:

  • Click on ‘Export’ button (located top-right of the screen).
  • Click ‘OK’ on the next screen.
  • Select event area and event season from drop-down menus.
  • Click on Export.
  • Click ‘OK’ on the next screen.
  • Open File and save to device. This can then be attached to any subsequent email.

Level 1 and 2 Officials – Send to your COfSec by 30 September (track/field) and 31 August (Endurance).

Level 3 and 4 Officials – Send to your tri-region secretary by 30 September (track/field) and 31 August (endurance).

For queries please contact officialsaccreditation@englandathletics.org.

County Officials’ Secretaries (Track & Field)

Your County Officials’ Secretary (COfSec) are a vital link between Officials in their county, meeting organisers and England Athletics. COfSecs provide invaluable support and guidance and form a very important relationship with officials from within their county. This includes:

  • Finding events to attend to gain experience.
  • Advising and supporting Officials in their development including upgrading processes.
  • Identifying/allocating experienced mentors to support new Officials’ development.
  • Identify and arrange training courses that are required for clubs and counties.
  • Encouraging and supporting individuals attending Assistant/Level 1 Official's courses to complete the process of attaining their Officiating qualification.
  • Maintain contact with local clubs in encouraging the recruitment and development of club members interested in becoming a Technical Official.

Tri-Regional Groups

Tri-Regional Groups form a link between Officials within the multiple counties and the respective tri-regions (Northern Group, Midlands and South West Group and the Southern Group). They have an important role in coordinating and supporting officials at or working towards Levels 3 and 4 across all disciplines in England.

Tri-regional Secretary contact details:

Download full Tri-Region contact list

Officiating candidate questions: Level 3

Below, you can download a DOC version of questions for you to complete.

Officiating Courses

Find details of all upcoming Officiating courses for qualifications and development opportunities.

Go to Athletics Hub