Level 2 Course held to train SA’s next group of senior referees
On Sunday, Football SA held a Level 2 Referee (Theory) course which was attended by 14 referees at Coopers Stadium, Hindmarsh. The course was run by Senior Panel Instructor, Michelle Smith.
The Level 2 Referee course is the gateway to refereeing Senior football in South Australia. Successful participants of the Theory component will be eligible to have their Field Tests, where they are assessed on State League 1 and 2 Senior fixtures.
Experienced referee Mark Atkins retires
Veteran match official Mark Atkins this week advised Football SA of his retirement, due to an ongoing knee injury. Mark has been an active match official for over 10 years, regularly refereeing U18’s and Reserves football as well as Collegiate Soccer League and Junior matches.
State Referee Committee Chair Rick Schneider paid tribute to the retiring Atkins, saying
“Mark was a vastly-experienced referee who was well respected by the clubs and his peers. While sadly his return to refereeing this season was short-lived due to another cruel knee injury, it showed his love and dedication to the sport.”
Nathan Magill attends sixth Futuro course
Football SA match official Nathan Magill has attended his sixth Futuro course during July. The FIFA Futuro course focuses on updates to the Laws of the Game, practical interpretations for referees and coaching match officials. Due to COVID-19 restrictions on travel, this course was held via videolink rather than in-person.
Nathan was one of four participants from Australia, with the other three Australians invited being based in Queensland. Nathan is a current member of the FFA A-League, W-League and FFA Cup Assessor (Referee Coach) Panel.
Bendigo Bank Community ‘Referee of the Month’ Award created
Football SA on Friday announced the creation of the Bendigo Bank Community Awards Program, to recognise the valued contribution of volunteers, coaches, referees and clubs to the sport of football in South Australia.
Nominations for July awards will close on Friday 7 August, with winners to be announced the following week. You can find more information at the following link: https://www.footballsa.com.au/bendigo-bank-community-awards-program
Debuts and Milestones
Congratulations to the following match officials who reached Referee Milestones during the past month:
- Daniel Goodwin - 100 NPL Matches (Referee); https://www.footballsa.com.au/news/nplsa-goodwin-joins-the-100-club
- Tom Brinkworth - NPL Senior Debut (Assistant Referee), MetroStars v Adelaide United
Successful Completion of Level 3 (Referee) Course:
Jayden Betterman, Supratim Bhattacharya, Alex Dichiera, Ben Monga, Leigh Prior, Judah Tan, Liam Toovey and Ashley Udycz