The 1-day Grade 4 refereeing course is the first step on Volleyball England's Referee Education and Development Pathway.  

Click here to book onto a course

The course consists of pre-course tasks, half a day of on-court practice and half a day conducted in a classroom setting, covering both theoretical and practical aspects of refereeing. Finally, you will be required to sit an online exam. To successfully complete the course you will be required to achieve a combined exam and scoresheet test mark of at least 80%.

At the end of the day, you will be able to:

• Interact effectively with teams and match officials
• Handle pre and post-match administration, guiding a successful match
• Understand the FIVB rules
• Referee a game both as a 1^st referee or as a 2^nd referee assisting the 1^st referee, including signaling, etc
• Complete an FIVB scoresheet 

Eligibility

Learners must:

• Be at least 16 years of age on the day of the course
• Be able to communicate effectively in English, including; listening, speaking, reading and writing

What do I need for the course?

• Access to a laptop/tablet/phone to complete the pre course quizzes and online exam at the end of the course
• A whistle
• A pen and notebook or similar notetaking technology
• Food and refreshments for the practical session

What does the Grade 4 Referee Award allow me to do?

With this award, you will be able to officiate games within regional and local leagues as a trainee referee and work towards attaining a Grade 3 Regional award.

Course fees 

From 1st April 2025, the cost of the course is £79.25 (plus a service fee of 3.2% + 50p).

Please ensure you have read the Volleyball England Education Course Terms and Conditions prior to booking onto the course. 

How to book

Grade 4 Referee Award courses are organised on a demand basis. Click here to see the courses that are currently available to book and select Grade 4 Referee Course from the event group drop down. 

If there are no courses listed, please check back at a later date. Once new courses are added they will be advertised on the Volleyball England social media and news channels. 

If you require help with booking onto a course, please see the step by step guide here before emailing or calling the Volleyball England Hub Team on 01509 974700. 

Next steps 

After passing the Grade 4 Referee course, you will then be able to progress to Grade 3 Regional. Click here to find out more.