About the Branch

The Cheltenham Branch was formed on 8th December 1927 with an initial membership of 18 and became affiliated to the Midland Section of the Referees Association, under the watchful eye of Mr H.P .Stott, Secretary of the Midlands. only 9 members attended the inaugurate meeting on the 31st January 1928 The Branch was instrumental in the formation of the Gloucester and Cirencester Branches and formed a close contact with the Forest of Dean Referees. Through the efforts of Mr A. E. Errington, Secretary of the Cheltenham Branch, the Gloucestershire RA County Committee was formed in 1938. In 1939 the Cheltenham Branch were afforded the honour of organising the 1940 Annual Conference of the RA. Various ideas were put forward at the monthly meeting as to raising the necessary funds, such as setting aside one Saturday match fee, not exceeding 5/- a darts match after each Branch Meeting and a fine levied against Referees not attending Branch Meetings. It was not until June 29th 1946 that the 28th Annual Conference was held at the Cheltenham Town Hall, with the President John Gilroy presiding.
Incidentally it was the Cheltenham Branch who started entertaining the Ladies with a "Motor Coach Tour of the Cotswolds" and tea at Stow-on-the-Wold. John Crowther our 50 year member was responsible for organising the Cheltenham Conference in June 2003 raising substantial funds that enabled this Conference to go with a swing John was supported by Alan Pearce the Branch Chairman and Joe Mizzi the branch Treasurer with a back up team from the county branches

The Cheltenham Branch Headquarters are located at the New Victory Club Burlington House Lypiatt Road Cheltenham which is the Montpellier area of Cheltenham just off the main A40 into Cheltenham We cover the Cheltenham area as far as the Cotswolds and Tewkesbury. Meetings are held at the Victory Club on the Third Thursday of every month August to May and commence at 7.45pm Member Referees from all branches are always invited to attend and non-members are welcome. We are members of the Referees Association and are affiliated to the Gloucestershire Football Association

We usually have around between 60/70 members each season from all standards of refereeing. Our current membership stands at 65 The cost of subscription to this branch which includes the Referees Association insurance package is £20 per year and for under 18's only £15. Fees are due on the 1st April each year Meetings, are informal social occasions where we discuss all aspects of football and refereeing over a chat and a drink. At meetings we have either a guest speaker or a discussion topic for the evening. The Society holds a number of social events over the course of the season

You can contact Cheltenham by E Mail alanpat100@btinternet.com

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 Branch Matters

In this our Centenary Year that any newly registered referee joining the RAE in 2008 – 2009 for the first time will only pay the £11.00 membership fee (£5.50 for juniors) and once received from his/her local ABS the new full member will receive a £10.00 voucher (£5 after 1st January 2009), a junior member would receive a £5 voucher (£2.50 after 1st January 2009) redeemable against RA supplies, a membership card and centenary coin. If the scheme was successful then it may be rolled out in future years. Ian Davies will produce a fly sheet for all CRA and ABS secretaries explaining how the three suggestions can work and it was hoped this will encourage membership of the RAE.

Any one who requires assistance with their fitness training should contact Steve Oakey of Cheltenham as Steve runs fitness sessions every Thursday except for Cheltenham Branch meeting nights.

Members are advised to obtain any Kit Requirements through the Referees Association the items sold are of a much better quality and all profits go to running your Association you can either order via the website or via Joe Mizzi the Branch Supplies Officer and Treasurer. We look forward to seeing you at our meetings.