Young whistleblowers sign up for referee program

More than 120 juniors have been put through their paces this year in a new football referee program.

These new junior referees from the Sydney Hills Football Association are ready to roll. Pictures: Carmela Roche

More than 120 juniors have been put through their paces this year in a new football referee program.

The Sydney Hills Football Association’s Junior Referee Development Program began this year to provide youngsters with refereeing opportunities.

The free program was open to youths from the age of 12 from every club in the association and covered the rules of the game, how to practically apply the rules, and how to deal with conflict.

Each club in the association had an average of 12 junior referees participate in this year’s course.

Some of the SHFA’s newest referees.

The referees have been officiating the association’s under-8 to under-11 modified 11-a-side games while being mentored by club referee co-ordinators.

The program was running at Baulkham Hills Football Club for six years before it was implemented across the SHFA, which has to provide its own referee training programs as it has not been sanctioned by Football NSW.

The program has been run under the guidance of Jim Moreland, who said it provided junior referees with experience and confidence as well as a pathway to higher levels.

“All the clubs have a copy of the rules and all the clubs have done the course … so we’ve started the season with the same level of understanding,” Moreland said.

The referees were provided with uniforms donated by McDonald’s Dural franchisee Mark Halford.