Football referees get knowledge top-up

Sixteen football referees have completed a four-day update via the FIFA’s Referees Assistance Programme.

The workshop, which ran from April 14 to 17, was conducted by FIFA referees’ instructors Joseph Taylor of Trinidad and Tobago and Victor Stewart of Jamaica.{{more}}

Comparing their visit in 2015, when a similar workshop took place, both Taylor and Joseph agreed that they have seen some improvement in terms of referees’ commitment.

Similarly, the two noted that the St Vincent and the Grenadines Football Federation needs to get younger referees into the fray.

Speaking on the issue of recruitment, Taylor recommended, “We have to start with persons coming out of secondary school, young adults, age 20, 21.”

Taylor further advised, “We don’t get them crawling out of the woodwork; you have to get them interested… Put the information out there, tell them of the success stories … You won’t get a hundred, but if you get 10 good young people to work with, this is what we want to see.”

He added that this requirement is not for the St Vincent and the Grenadines case, but that of the wider Caribbean.

Both facilitators were on the same page, as they want to see more Vincentians making it on to the FIFA list of match officials.

At present, St Vincent and the Grenadines has two FIFA accredited referees in Moeth Gaymes and female – Koyanna Horne, with referees assistants – Kemran Daniel, Danroy Barker and Kevin Michael.

Taylor and Stewart commended the work being done on the local front, but said that more is still needed to have others join those already on the FIFA list.

At the recent four-day workshop, other than Taylor and Stewart, local expertise was drawn from Lorson Lewis, Caswell Cambridge and Earl Paynter.

Both Lewis and Cambridge are fresh from a similar exercise which was carried out in Antigua and Barbuda last month.