League tackles referee shortage - Not a bad idea

From the BBC: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/6675763.stm

A unique football league is being set up in County Durham in a bid to address a shortage of referees.
Before joining the Darlington five-a-side league, players must agree to enrol on a referee training course if they are ever sent off.

The scheme is being organised by Martin Landers, manager of the town's Firthmoor Estate Community Centre, where a new pitch is being built.

He came up with the idea after struggling to find match officials.

Mr Landers said: "We're responding to what we believe is a national problem with referees - we simply can't get any.

"To solve this, we needed to get any team who joined the league to put someone on a course, but we thought this might put them off, so we came up with a grander idea.

"If you're sent off, you do not play again until you've taken a refereeing course.

"Of course there's no guarantee they'll come back and referee for us but we're just trying to send out an important message, that's all."

Anyone interested in joining the league should contact Firthmoor Community Centre, where the new pitch is expected to open in two weeks.