Sports Officials UKA great day was enjoyed by all in attendance at The FA Female Match Officials Development Day on Sunday 8th June 2008, held at Staverton Park, Daventry.
FA female match officials development day 2008
Every qualified female referee in the country was invited to attend this annual event aimed at educating and developing the potential of the growing pool of female match officials. The day was also a great way of bringing the female refereeing community together and for creating networking oppurtunities. Previous years have proved highly successful and received very positive feedback.
The event attracted a great mix of referees of all levels, from those who had only recently qualified up to and including the country’s top female referee, Amy Rayner. Those who came along this year benefited from various presentations from the likes of the Heads of Refereeing Ian Blanchard and Neale Barry, successful female referee Lorraine Deschamps, Regional Referees Manager Janie Frampton and keynote speaker Sonia Denoncourt,
a former FIFA referee of over 20 years experience and now Head of Female Referee Development at FIFA.
The day also featured workshops, group discussions and information centred on improving individual performance and developing potential. This included talks on Teamwork, Selling Decisions, Communication and Lessons learnt from the FIFA Women’s World Cup hosted by China last year. Whether the referees were happy to continue officiating at their current level or were striving to be at the top of game, everybody left with food for thought and tips they could put to practise at their next game.
There are currently in excess of 1,000 female referees in England. With the recent growth in interest and participation in women’s football, there are fantastic opportunities for female match officials to progress in the women’s game.
If you are interested in taking the Basic Course and qualifying as a referee, now could not be a better time.