REFEREES’ ACADEMY WEEKEND

The Malta FA Refereeing Department in collaboration with the Malta Football Referees Association has recently organised a Weekend Retreat for its young referees currently following a two-year programme at the Referees’ Academy.                          The Referees’ Academy is in its third season of operation and prepares young males and females aged 14-17 years old to join the mainstream of match officials.  Fifteen Academy Students took part in this season’s Weekend Retreat held at the Pergola Hotel & Spa in Mellieha.  The Academy Weekend consisted of classroom presentations, a practical outdoor session, group work and an analysis of the BOV Premier League match, Tarxien Rainbows vs Vittoriosa Stars, which the students analysed together with the referee of the match Clayton Pisani. Tyron Cardona and Daniel Portelli, themselves former Academy students who graduated last year, delivered an impeccable presentation about their leap from theory to practice, now that they are amongst the active referees taking charge of youth matches on a weekly basis. Other presentations focused on ‘Body Language’, ‘Requisites of a Match Official’, ‘Use of Advantage’, ‘Duties of an Assistant Referee’, ‘Personality’, ‘The role of the FIFA Referee’, ‘The Role of the Observer and the Mentor’, ’A Stepped Approach to Disciplinary Action’, ‘Consistent Level of Punishment’, ‘Severity of Fouls’ and ‘The Role of the Malta Football Referees Association’. The outdoor practical session held at a football pitch provided by Mellieha Sports Club, comprised of flag techniques, positioning, reflexes to incidents in vicinity, coordination and teamwork.  In the football match that followed, participants took it in turns to act as referees and assistant referees respectively, and hands on advice was given by the Instructors present. The Malta FA Refereeing Department Instructors taking part in this event were Charles Agius, Philip Agius, Alexander Arena, Adrian Casha and Silvio Tanti.