Football NSW Delivers Successful Inaugural Grassroots Referees Conference

Football NSW successfully delivered its inaugural Grassroots Referees Conference this Saturday at Valentine Sports Park, bringing together referees, coaches and branch leaders from across the state for a full day of learning and development.

As Australia’s first conference dedicated solely to grassroots refereeing, the event marked an important step forward in supporting match officials at the community level, with strong attendance from both metropolitan and regional areas.

The day featured a mix of practical workshops, expert presentations and panel discussions, focusing on key areas such as coaching and mentoring, decision-making, communication, strength and conditioning, and developing a clear identity as a match official.

A-League Men’s referee Lachlan Keevers and FIFA referee Tim Danaskos headlined the event, sharing insights from their journeys at the elite level and providing valuable takeaways for grassroots referees.

Football NSW Community Football Referees Coordinator Cameron Duck reflected on the success of the conference:

“Football NSW is very proud to have hosted this event. The feedback so far has been positive and will go a long way to shaping how next year looks. We wish to grow this conference each year. It is also additionally pleasing that we have been able to engage so many of the regional branches with referees from Dubbo, Bathurst, Eurobodalla, Highlands and Albury attending.”

With strong engagement across the day and positive feedback from attendees, the conference has laid the foundation to become a key annual event for referee development in New South Wales.

View some of the pictures from the day: