2021, the story so far...

It's crazy to think we are in March already and what a year it’s been so far! 

We wanted to start with a huge thank you to everyone who supported us on social media this month. We came incredibly close to winning the chance to pitch to a network of investors as part of the Debut Sessions (DS Live). While unfortunately we didn’t win the public vote on this occasion, the campaign has generated a lot of exposure for YesRef and opened up some really exciting discussions with other potential investors.

In the background, we are working hard with our development team to design how our YesRef app will work, look and feel. We want to make sure our app is built with you in mind, so will be hosting a series of focus groups over the coming weeks to get your input and feedback. This opportunity is open to referees and sports providers (clubs/ teams/ sports businesses) and you can click here to show an interest in the user testing.

Another exciting update is that YesRef has now joined The Sports Business Club (TSBC), a networking group that is leading the way in giving back to grassroots sports. This is a cause that is really close to our hearts and aligns to our charitable goal of supporting new referees to get involved in the game and offering young people the opportunity to join a sports team. We are really passionate about making sport accessible for all and hope to share more details about our plans for The YesRef foundation soon.

Last but by no means least, we’re delighted that Boris has now confirmed plans for the economy to open up and the return of grassroots sports on the 29^th March. This is really exciting for lots of us who have struggled during the last 12 months of lockdown restrictions. While the season will end differently for each competitive league, it will be a joy to get back on the pitch and let’s relish the fact that match days will soon be returning to our diaries. We also expect there to be a huge demand for referees for tournaments, pre-season games, league games, walking football and many other forms of the beautiful game, so make sure you are all ready and signed up to the YesRef platform to find referees or games in your area! You can sign up at YesRef.com

 We hope your families are safe and well and wish you all the best as we return to the field.

Catch up soon

Ben Williamson and Olly Rodriguez-Ballinger

Co-founders of YesRef