Referees ready for NPL NSW Men’s competition
At the recent FIFA Men’s World Cup in Qatar, FIFA President Gianni Infantino welcomed the referees as ‘Team One’.
“The referees are, for us, not only one team, but they are Team One.”
“We need Team One to enter the pitch first. We need Team One to kick off the first game and we need Team One to stop the last game.
‘Team One’, or the ‘third team’ is an important acknowledgment of the match officials that step out onto the field with the players.
Although Infantino words were directed towards a tournament that is the pinnacle of football, the sentiment remains the same with the National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s season kicking off this weekend.
Just like the players, the referees have a uniform, they train together during the week, and they work hard for the 90 minutes on the field (usually covering 10-12kms in the middle).
You’ll see them warming up together before a game, leading the players out of the tunnel for kick off and walking off side-by-side after the final whistle.
They’ll debrief with their coaches after the match, review clips of the game and look at how they can improve themselves for their next fixture.
With this is mind, it’s no surprise that while the players have been completing their pre-season training, the referees have too.
For our top flight referees, this weekend will not be the first time they have stepped onto the field in forever; they’ve been putting in the hours doing trial matches, pre-season training, technical education sessions and fitness testing for months now.
They’ve been counting the match minutes in their legs and refreshing themselves on game tactics and Laws of the Game knowledge.
The NPL NSW Men’s competition boasts a quality line up of players and coaches: ex-Socceroos stars and A-Leagues legends included. But the referee panel is just as strong. For the 22/23 A-Leagues Men’s and Women’s season we saw 26 NSW match officials selected to be a part of the officiating panel and four NSW match officials were appointed to FIFA’s Panel of International Referees for 2023.
FIFA and A-Leagues experience aside, the panel of referees for the NSW competition also benefits from the wealth of experience of match officials like Michael Weiner.
Weiner began his refereeing career in Ku-ring-gai & District Football Referees Association (KDFRA) and last year hit his 100th match in NSW’s top tier competition before rounding out his season as fourth official at the 2022 NPL NSW Men’s grand final.
Speaking at the NPL NSW Men’s and Leagues launch last weekend, Weiner highlighted the strength of NSW competitions and what the focus of referees is moving into round one.
“The quality of competitions we now get to officiate is fantastic,” he said.
“Ultimately, we want to enable a really good spectacle out there. We don’t want it to be about us, we want football to be what everyone is talking about.
“We’re always trying to be our best and put ourselves in the best position to make the right decision.”
Even the ‘rookie’ match officials who will likely be making their debuts on NPL first grade in the coming weeks don’t take the opportunity lightly.
Many have come through referee development pathways like the Referee Development Panel (RDP) and the Referee Academy and have been training hard to prove themselves ready for the chances coming to them.
Experienced referee, Amber Morris also attended the season launch. Originally from Eastern Suburbs Referees Association, Morris now regularly officiates on the NPL NSW Men’s and Women’s competitions and is an Assistant Referee on the A-League Women’s. She’s just one of the many females who will take charge of top tier men’s matches this season, either with a whistle or a flag.
At the launch, Morris spoke about the importance of respect for all match officials across all competitions, from those who have notched up over 100 matches to those who may be just starting out to ensure referees don’t leave the game completely.
“Respect is super important. At the end of the day a lot of us are still learning. It’s that respect for juniors in particular; we want them to keep coming back.
“We love football and we want to be there to facilitate a really entertaining game. It’s a hard position to be in [to be a referee], love us or hate us, you do need us to be a part of the game. We all make mistakes; we are human at the end of the day, but we are there because we love the game as much as you guys do.”
With pre-season coming to an end tonight when the whistle blows to start the first competition match, referees will be ready for the challenge ahead.
