From your first Level 1 course to standing track side at a major championship — the path below is the same one our Commonwealth Games and international officials walked. Every discipline in Northern Ireland follows the same shape: four levels, each built on real meeting experience rather than more time in a classroom. These pathways are shared across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, so wherever your journey takes you in the UK, your progress is recognised.
Our courses run throughout the year. Wherever possible, we aim to deliver them face-to-face with our Northern Ireland-based tutors. However, where demand is lower, some courses may be delivered online through our colleagues in the other Home Countries.
If you're interested in any of our officiating courses or disciplines, please complete an Expression of Interest form here.
| EXPRESSION OF INTEREST |
Track & Field Officials' Pathway
Official Track & Field Officials' Pathway graphic — England Athletics, Athletics NI, scottishathletics, Welsh Athletics
Level 1 gets you started: your Level 1 course, the Safeguarding and Health & Safety self-paced modules, a minimum of two practical experiences (an Access NI/Scottish Athletics-only requirement at this level), your Access NI check, and your licence photo.
Level 2 asks for at least ten more meetings since Level 1, your Record of Experience kept up to date, experience gained across all field events if you're a field official, a Discipline Feedback Sheet from a Level 2 official (or above) who's worked alongside you, and completion of the Level 2 questions.
Level 3 asks for at least twenty more meetings since Level 2, your continued Record of Experience, two Positive Reports from area-level meetings (at least one from acting as chief or referee), and the Level 3 questions.
Level 4 — our most experienced officials — asks for at least thirty more meetings over two years since Level 3, your Record of Experience, the Level 4 Officials Course and Technology Module, a minimum of six Positive Reports covering a range of duties, the Level 4 questions, and a completed application form.
Starters and Starter's Assistants follow a slightly different experience count at each level — the full breakdown is in the numbered notes underneath the graphic above.
Endurance Officials' Pathway
Official Endurance Officials' Pathway graphic — England Athletics, Athletics NI, scottishathletics, Welsh Athletics
Level 1 covers your Level 1 course, a Risk Awareness course, the Safeguarding self-paced module, a minimum of two practical experiences, your Access NI check, and your licence photo.
Level 2 asks for at least ten more meetings since Level 1 — including evidence of shadowing a referee at a league or county-level meeting — your Record of Experience, and the Judging/Recording, Sector Marshalling, and Race Referee self-paced modules.
Level 3 asks for at least ten more meetings since Level 2, with two of those at regional level, your Record of Experience, one Positive Report from a regional-level meeting, and the Start/Finish and Clerk of Course/Course Director self-paced modules.
Level 4 asks for at least twenty more meetings since Level 3, your Record of Experience, the Level 4 Endurance Officials Course, and a minimum of four Positive Reports covering key race-day duties — Referee/Assistant Referee, Start Area Coordinator/Start Director, Finish Area Coordinator/Finish Director, and Clerk of Course/Course Director — plus the Level 4 questions.