BRADENTON, Florida– Once again showing why it is one of the leaders in world football in regards to referee development, Concacaf successfully hosted a training event focused on FIFA Referee and Assistant Referee prospects for 2019 this past week at the Concacaf Girls’ Under-15 Championship, played at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.

In addition, through the UEFA Assist program, for the first time, two female UEFA referee trios and a UEFA FIFA Instructor participated in the third edition of the championship, which is conducted every two years. UEFA’s initiative provides assistance to other confederations and their member associations in order to develop and strengthen football across the globe.

Each year, the Concacaf competition offers a unique opportunity to evaluate Member Association prospective FIFA Referee Candidates for the upcoming year, and for the 2018 edition, approximately 60 match officials (proposed by 19 different Member Associations) traveled to Florida to undergo evaluation and training from FIFA Instructors.

The evaluation is critical to improving the performance of referees as it involves officiating a minimum of two matches that are observed by Concacaf Elite Assessors and instructors. More importantly, the match officials partake in daily debrief sessions focused on examining the intricacies of the game and improving performances, which gives referees more tools to manage games at their local level.

UEFA was represented by a trio of referees from Serbia and Spain, as well as Dagmar Damkova, who is an ex-FIFA referee, FIFA Referee committee member, UEFA Referee Committee member and a FIFA Instructor.

In order to simulate FIFA and Concacaf senior tournaments, the referees also attended daily fitness and recovery sessions that were led by FIFA Instructors Peter Prendergast, Michelle Pye, Leonel Leal, Alan Brown, and Damkova. These sessions provide the basis for technical training that expose the referees and assistant referees to game-like situations.

Brian Hall, Concacaf’s Director of Refereeing, highlighted the importance of the work put in by these referees during the tournament: 

“Not only are the Concacaf U-15 Championships important for the growth of football players, coaches, and Member Associations, but the tournament serves a vital role in the development of referees. 

First, the opportunity for Member Association referees to officiate teams from outside their region and area is important. They are exposed to different styles of play and different football cultures. This exposure grows their football understanding and strengthens their refereeing foundation.

For many, this is the first time they have refereed a game outside their country and in an environment where they must earn the respect of the teams and players because they are an unknown to them.  

Second, when you have such a diverse group of officials, they have the opportunity to observe how referees from other countries work. This provides a good benchmark for them and a fantastic opportunity to learn from the work of their colleagues and peers. 

And, finally, the weeklong exposure to world-class instructors and daily in-depth analysis of match situations provides coaching moments like no other.”

The partnership with the UEFA Refereeing Department also enhanced the tournament from a quality of refereeing perspective as well as a cultural perspective. The value of the experience for UEFA and FIFA Referee Instructor Damkova, from the Czech Republic, did not go unnoticed: 

“This championship was a great opportunity for the referees to show how they work, to demonstrate their attitude to refereeing, and receive training that will help them achieve excellence. It was also an opportunity to see the work with Concacaf referees and to be able compare it to what we are doing at UEFA. The opportunity to share ideas and knowledge was invaluable. I fully support this kind of project and am willing to help and share my experience any time. It was an honor to be here and I hope I will soon see some of the officials as FIFA referees in the near future.”

To conclude their respective participations at the U-15 Girls’ Championship, each Member Association, Head of Refereeing, and participating referee will submit a feedback form to provide a basis for future training and development at the local level.