Nigel Saverton is determined that Oxfordshire will buck a national trend of dwindling referees.

And the referees' development officer says that the county is already well on the way to achieving their aim.

With players constantly arguing, swearing and disputing decisions with referees, the widespread consensus is that the man in the middle is everyone's worst enemy.

But that is not putting off the next generation of wannabe whistle-blowers.

With different leagues realising that too much abuse will inevitably lead to a dramatic drop in referees, steps are being taken to protect officials.

And it is starting to reap rewards, with an academy aimed at encouraging youngsters to take up the whistle leading the way.

There has been a shortage of referees for decades, but Saverton is confident a number of initiatives will achieve a 100 per cent coverage of games in Oxfordshire.

The county were one of the first in the south to set up an academy, where young referees learn the ropes under the watchful eye of experienced mentors and assessors.

Saverton, who has been in the role for a month, has a tough task ahead, but says he relishes the challenge.

"My key role is to recruit, and more importantly, retain referees," he said.

"We put a lot of money into developing referees, and we don't want them to go.

"The aim of the FA is to have enough referees in the country to cover every game by 2012.

"Whether that's achieveable or not is difficult to say, but we have a number of initiatives already in place."

Potential new referees have to attend a basic course and officiate in six matches to become a qualified referee.

Saverton said: "The first six games are considered the be the hardest in a referees' career, and so we are appointing mentors to every new ref to help them through that difficult period."

The Oxfordshire FA's refereeing academy has been running for three years, and Saverton believes it's already showing signs of unearthing real talent.

"Spotting a good referee is as important as spotting a talented player," he said.

"The academy is one such way to do this, and the youngsters that are signed up get to referee in a safe environment.

"All clubs must sign up to a code of conduct, and the most important aspect is that players, management, and parents are simply not allowed to shout at players or referees during the game.

"In this protected environment, it allows youngsters to referee the game and develop a real empathy with the players.

"We split the academy games into 20 or 30 minute mini-games, and each match has a mentor and assessor present.

"We also demand a touch of professionalism from the young referees. All the games have assistant referees and we encourage them to turn up smartly-dressed, as they would be expected to do in adult football.

"From the age of 14, we can take referees under our wing, and hopefully prepare them for adult football."

The minimum age to referee adult football is 16, and Saverton says the 'lonely' feeling of years gone by is no more.

He said: "In the past, referees have simply qualified and then been out on their own. We never did enough to continue their development after qualifying, and we are keen to adopt a development strategy."

Although the academy is aimed at referees from 14 to 21, Saverton says the older referees are not being neglected either.

"There is no discrimination with age," he said. "If a referee is good enough, we will encourage them to go on.

"We have a very thorough assessment and development scheme in Oxfordshire, and we look after our referees at all levels.

"Irrespective of your age, you will get a mentor for those first six games, although the academy is aimed at young referees, we do not turn our back on those who wish to take up the whistle after retiring from playing.

"In the past, there's been a feeling from some referees that they are on their own, but not any more.

"In development groups aimed at each specific level, we support our referees. We go to games, watch other referees in action and discuss performances afterwards.

"I want all referees, both newcomers and experienced officials, to enjoy their football and want to retain as many as possible.

"Anyone who does not respond to the annual registration will be chased up. If they give up for personal reasons, I can understand, but I don't want any retiring because of a bad experience or a lack of support.

"And when referees come to the end of the careers, we want to use their experience to develop the new ones.

"It's important to stress that you're not on your own any more. We've made sure of that, and hopefully we will continue to buck the trend."

Pictured are Ardley United players remonstrating with referee Mark Hawkes during a Hellenic League game.