The course caters to the instructors of the top referees in each of OFC’s 11 Member Associations, with four FIFA instructors covering elements of technical and fitness instructing.
OFC Head of Referee Development Mark Hester is one of the fitness instructors alongside Toshio Utsumi from Japan and technical instructors Steve Bennett from England and FIFA Senior Manager of Referee Development Fernando Tresaco-Gracia.
For the first time in Oceania FUTURO III will also have a futsal and beach soccer element, with Robert Tibbo of Canada travelling to Fiji to cover this topic off.
Hester says with each Member Association can submit two candidates plus one female for the technical aspect, one male and one female for fitness and one futsal/beach soccer participant.
“Some countries aren’t very advanced in futsal or beach soccer so they aren’t sending anyone, or they may only have one instructor to send and that’s fine,” Hester explains of the make-up of the 49 participants.
“However, the possibility is there for up to six per country.”
With the course being held annually, there is a chance that it could become stale and repetitive, but Hester is adamant that’s not the case.
“In principle we should be getting pretty much the same people attending each year, outside of personnel changeovers, because the course is never the same year on year,” he says.
“The course last year will not be the same as the course this year because sometimes priorities change. For example this year, which wasn’t in last year, is instant feedback.
“Last year we looked at the priorities for top referees in terms of things like explosive speed for example. This year we’re bringing to the table more about the First Aid side of things – sudden cardiac arrest, concussion and the like.
“Also the teaching always evolves so there’s always updated teaching as well. We always cover things like methodology of teaching, which is important; it doesn’t change much but can be updated or taught in a slightly different way.
“So there are similarities, but it won’t be exactly the same.”
Because it is delivered by FIFA, the course relates, in general, to global football developments however Hester says there is still a regional element to what is being taught.
“It needs to be flexible to adapt to the region,” he states.
“Things like taking into account facilities or resources which are different in Europe compared with Oceania, for example.
“But the overall structure is pretty much the same as it’s a FIFA course and therefore the content is going to be similar between each of the Confederations.”
The FIFA FUTURO III Referee Instructors Course is being held in Suva, Fiji at the Fiji FA Headquarters and Regional Technical Centre from 23-28 March 2015.

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