(June 12, 2017) Another busy season of referee education has wrapped up for Alberta Soccer, with 1,072 hours of instruction taking place across 48 towns and cities.
In pursuit of its vision to develop a pool of officials who support games that are ‘fair, safe, and enjoyable for all,’ Alberta Soccer worked with its member districts to facilitate over 150 referee clinics. Nearly 2,900 referees, instructors, and assessors of varying levels and aspirations received formal education.
The referee program offered:
- 58 refreshers
- 39 entry level courses
- 38 mini courses
- 3 regional upgrade clinics
- 4 assessor clinics
- 3 instructor clinics
Due to extensive changes to the FIFA Laws of the Game this year, instructional requirements increased by 33 percent for outdoor refreshers. These changes also made it necessary to host an additional three instructor courses to bring the referee instructors up to speed.
Upgrading
The province offered a regional upgrade course in Calgary, Edmonton and Medicine Hat, which will potentially result in 35 new regional referees being added to the mix.
Canada Soccer ran a centralized Provincial Upgrade course in Laval, QC, which was attended by one Albertan in the hopes of earning an upgrade to the Provincial level.
As the number of upgrade candidates increase, the need for assessors also rises. As such, Alberta Soccer has trained and accredited 14 new assessors.
Resources
For more information on all things referee-related, visit the referees section of Alberta Soccer’s website.