Referees have told Mersey Sport Live of the difficulties they face as a result of the shortage of trainee and qualified officials in grassroots football.
The Liverpool FA also outlined their worries around the lack of available referees in the area in their 2024-2028 strategy announcement last year, explaining their plans to attract and retain more officials to support the youth and lower leagues.
From 2016, 10,000 referees left the game in the five seasons following and this trend has worryingly continued.
Referee Danny Meadows said: “They need to offer a bit of security and the option to provide a back-up official.”