We will sometimes, on the refereeing circuit, come across match officials not in membership of any Referees' Society or the RA. When asked why not, the reply will often be "I can't get to meetings."

Monthly meetings are, of course, at the very centre of Society life and there is much benefit from attending, listening and questioning the great speakers, learning and developing from the training, discussing match incidents and enjoying the friendship and camaraderie which is available.

But there are also many other advantages of membership, so if you are ever told by a colleague that they "can't get to meetings" please just remind them of some of these benefits: