Photo Credit: OFC Media
The OFC Women’s Pre-Elite course brought together promising and aspiring women referees, to equip them with the skills and knowledge to achieve elite status within three years.
Over four days, 12 match officials participated in a combination of activities, including fitness tests, physical training, and a workshop on the physical demands of refereeing.
“I learned a lot about preparation, ways to manage muscle cramps, how to build up your muscles to be fit and be able to do all those things,” said Vanuatu match official Madlen Ruben.
The physical component was complemented by a comprehensive technical programme, that covered different aspects of the laws of the game and recent amendments to the laws. An introductory session to VAR was well received by the group of match officials, as OFC aims to incorporate VAR into competitions in the near future.
“The referees had a busy programme but they were super energetic and committed to the course,” said OFC’s High Performance Coach Alejo Perez Leguizamon.
“We were mindful about how much they had to concentrate and how much energy it takes to be involved in a full week like this. But they were proactive, asked lots of questions and interacted with their instructors and coaches, so it was good,” he added.
The course featured sessions on decision making, safeguarding, stress management and other high performance elements. A highlight was having three-time FIFA Women’s World Cup™ referee Anna-Marie Keighley on the course, who shared her wealth of experience.
“We learned a lot from her about how she’s managed to go to the World Cup, what she sacrificed to go to the World Cup. Her story about motherhood and refereeing, having a baby and coming back again, that was inspiring,” added Solomon Islands referee Jovita Ambrose.
Running parallel to the Pre-Elite course was the Referee Fitness Instructor course, which welcomed seven participants from seven different Member Associations, including two new instructors. This programme emphasised the importance of fitness coaches in preparing referees to handle the demands of making accurate decisions under pressure.
“We are happy to have more colleagues joining the OFC referee instructor course as they need to prepare referees and Member Association referees on a weekly basis.
“There is a huge demand to prepare the match officials for the domestic competitions, but also for the international competitions as well,” said Leguizamon.
Former Cook Islands international and FIFA assistant referee, John Pareanga – a newcomer to being a fitness instructor – knows the importance of fitness training.
“The pace of the game is getting faster and faster every year,” explained Pareanga.
“What caught my attention this week was the sprint training – back home we don’t do sprint trainings. We can run 10 miles, run all day, but when it comes to short sprints we don’t have the skills and speciality for that.
“I am looking to push our next generation of referees to the next stage, to the World Cup and Olympics. Yes, that will take time, but that is the goal,” he continued.