NEW YORK - CONCACAF will work with each national association to identify and install its own head of referee development, the main focus for the confederation's officiating efforts in 2010.

A day-long meeting at CONCACAF's New York headquarters on Tuesday reviewed the progress after 18 months of involvement in FIFA's Referee Assistance Program (RAP), with plans to also continue with instructional seminars in the region.

"It was an eye-opener for me," said CONCACAF President Jack Warner, who with General Secretary Chuck Blazer and Deputy General Secretary Ted Howard was on hand for the review. "I was very impressed.

"I saw for the first time the operations for referee development in CONCACAF. I am optimistic. I think we have a bright referee future."

RAP is to assist in professionalizing and improving the standard of refereeing, unifying the application of the Laws of the Game. It pairs referee development officers with instructors from around the world.

Led by FIFA referee chief Fernando Tresaco, the review and planning session called for the establishment of Referee Development Officers (RDOs) in each of CONCACAF's member associations. It also furthered planning for more Futuro III courses in Central America, North America and the Caribbean, referee instructional seminars in member associations, fitness tests for every country and elite referee courses for the Caribbean, Central America and a region-wide CONCACAF workshop.

Tresaco was joined by FIFA's development head Jurg Nepfer and Gregory Englebrecht, the world body's development officer for the CONCACAF region.