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The third of our centrally-run 'Zoom Meeting Night' specials is being held on Monday evening next week, 20th July 2020.

For the coming weeks, we have lined up a whole range of speakers from the Refereeing World, plus guests from other sports, all of whom will be sharing with you their insight and experience.

The aim is to educate, offer development opportunities, share experiences and (above all else) have some fun!
 
We will be holding bi-weekly events on alternate Monday evenings, and attendance for each event will be on a first come, first served basis.

So please come and join us next Monday evening, when we are delighted to welcome Level 2A Referee Ryan Atkin, who guarantees a great night of entertainment and education. Ryan will be presenting about 'Safe Refereeing', with a combination of video clips and discussion throughout the session.

When: Monday 20th July 2020

Time: 7pm-9pm (UK)

To book onto the event, keep an eye on your emails for communication from The RA or sign up via the 'events' section of The RA members area by logging in here.


Ryan Atkin Profile:


Ryan Atkin is a Referee in Professional Football and Senior Manager in the rail industry. On 10th August 2017, he decided to come out publicly as a gay man, making him the only out gay man in professional football. Ryan officiates in the EFL Championship, League 1 & 2 & National League. 

He started refereeing in Plymouth when he was 15 years old and has steadily been promoted over the seasons to a Panel Select referee.

In 2019 Ryan was appointed as Europe & Asia Referee Director for International Gay & Lesbian Football Association. In the same year Ryan was appointed as a Stonewall Sports Champion and Athlete Alley Ambassador in the USA.
 
When not refereeing, Ryan is an accomplished senior manager in the railway industry for over 11 years. He specialises in strategic planning and delivery, while heading up a team responsible for over 130 train drivers.
 
Ryan uses his role and position within football to open dialogue within sport to drive change in equality and diversity. He can often be seen in the media campaigning for LGBT+ equality and has appeared on Sky News, Sky Sports, BBC Breakfast, Loraine, CNN along with writing articles for mainstream media. 
 
Ryan has delivered keynotes and taken part in panels discussions at Disney, Aviva, Allianz, Bank Of England, Amazon, Deloitte, Out Leadership, Barclays, Sky, The Football Association, UEFA, Pride In London.

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The National RA recommends that prospective members should join through their local LRA, the easiest way being to attend one of the many local association meetings that take place across the country on a regular (usually monthly) basis. Find your nearest branch now.

Alternatively, online membership is now available for any referee who wishes to take up central membership. The National RA will then allocate you a local branch. Join now.