Fifteen individuals eager to pursue officiating roles in football locally and internationally have successfully completed the Guyana Football Federation’s (GFF’s) Referee Introductory Course on Sunday, April 7.
A practical and theoretical workshop was conducted by the GFF Refereeing Department at the National Training Centre at Providence, East Bank Demerara from April 5-7, and 4 women and 8 men, including former players, were awarded certificates for completing this training programme.
Participants during the Referee Introduction course
The course was led by Natasha Lewis, Abdullah Hamid and Ingram Johnson, in association with fitness instructor Tyrone Tyrrell. And the workshop, attended by Aldrin Benjamin, Sheldon Toney, Kezia McLennan, Derick Daniels, Stefvon Daniels, Jenel Walker, Wesley McDonald, Andre Sampson, Alliyah Elexey, Jaheim Crandon, Tiffany Lord and Kevin Morean, dealt with the role of referees in matches, encompassing international regulations and guidelines.
The group also participated in fitness assessments as an integral component of the workshop.
GFF Head of Referees, Lenval Peart, has said he is pleased with the response received from individuals who came from as far as Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) to attend the workshop, but is disappointed that no individual was present to represent Georgetown.
Those participating in the Referee Introductory Course
Peart emphasised that the GFF continues to invest in training programmes for field officials, in order to ensure a widespread presence of referees across Guyana, but has said that, for the refereeing pool to expand, there needs to be dedication from all associations.
Derick Daniels, who hailed from the community of Rupertee in Region 9 (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo), shared how enthusiastic he was to attend the workshop, which he described as “very interesting” and added that he intends to return to his community and educate “the other officials…about this aspect of the course.”
Former player Alliyah Elexey added, “I love football, so that’s the reason why I decided to become a referee.
The Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) resident noted that persons are interested in the game, “but because of the whole stigma and everything when it comes to females playing football, it’s basically tough. I want to be that guiding light for them, to let them know you don’t have to be a male to like football, you can be a female; and they have different opportunities for females in football. For instance, they need a lot of female referees.”
The GFF remains committed to expanding the pool of officiating talent, with a focus on increasing game time across all levels, from junior to senior competitions.
The national recruitment initiative will be ongoing throughout the year.
