The FIFA Beach Soccer Refereeing Course concluded in Tahiti last weekend following five days of intensive learning and insightful discussions.
FIFA Instructor Neil Poloso of Solomon Islands said the course was very successful, with the participants fully engaged in the learning process.
“The main areas I focused on were positioning and movement, reading and understanding the game of beach soccer, uniformity of hand signals in beach soccer, team work, correct sanctioning of unfair challenges or tackles, scissor kicks and game management,” he said.
“The participants openly discussed the topics, freely asked questions and were active in the group work activities. Additionally, the assimilation test marks improved as did the performance assessment during the practical training matches.”
Poloso was impressed by the willingness of the participants to improve and believes it won’t be long before local referees join the Tiki Toa at a Beach Soccer World Cup.
“The participants showed a lot of potential to progress and become international beach soccer referees. The level of the game in Tahiti is already very high following the World Cup appearances by the Tiki Toa.
“I can confirm that one referee amongst the participants had the right attitude, passed the fitness test requirement, has the right refereeing level, hands signals were clear and according to guidelines and was strong in the practice matches I observed.
“The other referees have a lot of potential to progress quickly as they have games every week to practice and achieve the necessary experience.”
Poloso said the next steps following the course are clear, with the participants now equipped with all the information, knowledge and practical training skills required to officiate beach soccer matches.
“The next steps are for them to put into practice what they learned from the course, that is, to turn-up at the beach soccer pitch and officiate as many matches as they could every week. This will give them the confidence and experience they need to further develop their skills. They are advised to do self-assessments following each match.
“Additionally, it’s important to have a locally-based instructor to continually assess their performance and provide feedback – positive areas and areas they must improve. The instructor would also be responsible for the planning and conducting of weekly meetings and training for the referees.
“It is the right time now for Tahiti to have a Member Association Beach Soccer Referee Instructor with the increased number of beach soccer referees in the federation.”