Last weekend, I had the pleasure of attending the 2015 International Referee Symposium, held in Fort Lauderdale. CONCACAF referees and assistant referees that were added to the FIFA panel in 2015 were invited to this meeting.
I was added this year to the list of international referees to represent Canada. My nomination came as a great honor, since getting the FIFA badge had been a long-term dream of mine. Soon after my nomination, I was assigned to referee at the CONCACAF U17 Championship held in Honduras from February 24 to March 16. The Referee Symposium was hosted in Florida the weekend following the end of this tournament. During the Symposium, many inspiring presentations on technical, physical and psychological aspects of refereeing at the international level were given by various top level speakers such as Sonia Denoncourt, Armando Archundia, Arturo Brizio, Peter Prendergast, Edgardo Codesal, Rodolfo Sibrian, Alan Morgan Brown and PRO Match Official Development Manager Brian Hall. From a practical point of view, participants ran the FIFA interval fitness test over the weekend and, one of the great aspects of this meeting, was getting to work with staff members and referees from different parts of the CONCACAF region. I was pleased to be present at the Referee Symposium for the third straight year - the previous editions were held in Mexico (2013) and Costa Rica (2014). These events, along with the training offered by PRO and the Canadian Soccer Association (CSA), clearly contribute to my development as a referee. This year, I had the chance to go to the Symposium with fellow PRO officials Drew Fischer (FIFA Referee, Canada), Armando Villarreal (FIFA Referee, USA) and Corey Parker (FIFA Assistant Referee, USA). We were all honored to participate in this event.
I have been on the CSA National Referee List since 2007. I started working as a 4th official in MLS in 2012 and, since its inception, PRO has always supported me in different ways. For instance, I have been following fitness programs created by PRO Sports Scientist Matt Hawkey and attended multiple PRO training camps. Also, on top of the assignments from CSA, I received many development opportunities from PRO to referee NASL, USL, MLS preseason and international friendly matches in the United States. Furthermore, I can already see the positive impact of the addition of Brian Hall at PRO, who now closely supervises the progression of individuals on the 4th official list. At this point in 2015, I am grateful that my 23rd season as a referee started with multiple great opportunities. I will continue to work hard and follow the guidance of PRO, CSA, CONCACAF and FIFA to hopefully get additional opportunities at the international and MLS levels in order to continue my development and try to become the best referee I can be.
Source: PRO
Source: PRO
The Professional Futsal League launched in January 2015. League play will begin in November 2016 with teams from established professional brands as well as new futsal clubs. The PFL International Challenge featured FC Barcelona, PFL Team Mexico and PFL Team USA in a three-day tournament. The PFL hosted both a player and a referee combine at City Futsal in Dallas prior to the PFL International Challenge, providing opportunity for players and referees alike. Canadian national referee Chris Grabas (QC, photo) was amongst the 22 referees who attended the event and he was appointed as Second Referee to the match between PFL Team USA � PFL Team Mexico.
The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) announced today the opening of its International Referee Symposium presented by Comex/Futline, the latest in a series of such symposiums for FIFA international referees from across the Confederation. The current edition opens today, March 19, and runs through March 22, in the Ft. Lauderdale, Florida area. This International Referee Symposium welcomes 50 of the CONCACAF referees new this year to the FIFA international referee list. Canada is represented by its new FIFA referees Mathieu Bourdeau and Drew Fischer (photo) and assistant referees Chantal Boudreau and Marie-Han Gagnon-Chretien. Designed as a motivational and informational series of sessions for this elite group of officials, the event programming focuses on technical matters as well as the philosophy of refereeing. �We are pleased to welcome this group of top international referees to Florida for the International Referee Symposium presented by Comex/Futline,� said CONCACAF General Secretary Enrique Sanz. �Further development of our world class referees is an important responsibility that goes hand in hand with CONCACAF�s commitment to broad based development efforts in support of the game across the region.� The symposium format features classroom meetings as well as field training sessions, to be led by six former World Cup Referees, headed by CONCACAF Director of Refereeing Sonia Denoncourt. Event instructors include retired FIFA international referees Armando Archundia (MEX), Arturo Brizio (MEX), Edgardo Codesal (MEX) and Brian Hall (USA), as well as FIFA Referee Instructors Peter Prendergast and Rodolfo Sibrian. FIFA Fitness Instructor Alan Brown will also be on hand to oversee the fitness and training areas of the sessions. This week�s symposium in Ft. Lauderdale will be followed by an additional referee training event to take place next month at the Dallas Cup, one of the largest and most successful youth tournaments in the world. Eighteen of the new CONCACAF referees from the FIFA international list will officiate at the tournament. The CONCACAF Referee Symposium Presented by Comex/Futline at the Dallas Cup, scheduled for April 2 and also led by Sonia Denoncourt and a team of former FIFA international match officials, will focus on analysis of the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil, new trends in refereeing, preparation for the 2015 FIFA Women�s World Cup in Canada, and referee fitness preparation.
Source: CONCACAF
Source: CONCACAF
American soccer coverage is the latest new enterprise from You Are The Ref�s team of refereeing professionals. From this weekend, Ref Cam will carry expert commentary on top matches in Major League Soccer. The venture kicks off with Orlando City versus New York City on Sunday at 21.00 (GMT). Guy Beale is the coach for that game, running the rule over the team of match officials with continuous comment. Sky�s coverage of MLS will open up the game to a whole new audience and YATR will complement that process. Under the management of former Premier League officials Peter Walton and Paul Rejer, the United States now has a thriving professional refereeing set-up. One of their referees, Mark Geiger, was outstanding at last summer�s World Cup in Brazil. Ref Cam manager Roger Dilkes said: �This is an exciting development in our vision to help improve the standard of officiating across the world. It�s also an opportunity to broaden the education of everyone involved in the game be it players, managers, coaches and indeed referees themselves at all levels. And, of course, football supporters. Our reporting will be honest and transparent as ever. In this way, younger referees can learn from those doing the job in major leagues.� Forthcoming MLS games include New York City v New England Revolution, NY Red Bulls v DC United and Chicago Fire v Philadelphia Union. You Are The Ref director Jock Waugh said, �A version of each game�s analysis will be available in Spanish courtesy of our friends at Cal South and especially Arturo Angeles.Source: YATR
Less than two months after receiving their FIFA badges, Canadian referees Mathieu Bourdeau (photo) and Drew Fischer have been appointed to the CONCACAF U-17 Championship 2015. The competition will take place in Honduras, from 27 February to 15 March 2015.
Referees
1. Adrian Skeete (BRB, 1978)
2. Christopher Reid (BLZ, 1986)
3. Mathieu Bourdeau (CAN, 1980)
4. Drew Fischer (CAN, 1980)
5. Ricardo Montero (CRC, 1986)
6. Mario Escobar (GUA, 1986)
7. Oscar Moncada (HON, 1977)
8. Karl Tyrell (JAM, 1981)
9. Cesar Ramos (MEX, 1983)
10. William Anderson (PUR, 1979)
11. Kimbell Ward (SKN, 1983)
12. Edvin Jurisevic (USA, 1975)
Assistant Referees
1. Ricardo Ake (BLZ, 1978)
2. Kenroy Willis (CAY, 1979)
3. Juan Mora (CRC, 1989)
4. Leonardo Sanchez (CUB, 1988)
5. Marco Diaz (GUA, 1984)
6. Omar Leiva (HON, 1979)
7. Richard Washington (JAM, 1980)
8. Miguel Hernandez (MEX, 1977)
9. Gabriel Victoria (PAN, 1973)
10. Zachari Zeegelaar (SUR, 1989)
11. Ainsley Rochard (TRI, 1981)
12. Adam Garner (USA, 1977)
Referees1. Adrian Skeete (BRB, 1978)
2. Christopher Reid (BLZ, 1986)
3. Mathieu Bourdeau (CAN, 1980)
4. Drew Fischer (CAN, 1980)
5. Ricardo Montero (CRC, 1986)
6. Mario Escobar (GUA, 1986)
7. Oscar Moncada (HON, 1977)
8. Karl Tyrell (JAM, 1981)
9. Cesar Ramos (MEX, 1983)
10. William Anderson (PUR, 1979)
11. Kimbell Ward (SKN, 1983)
12. Edvin Jurisevic (USA, 1975)
Assistant Referees
1. Ricardo Ake (BLZ, 1978)
2. Kenroy Willis (CAY, 1979)
3. Juan Mora (CRC, 1989)
4. Leonardo Sanchez (CUB, 1988)
5. Marco Diaz (GUA, 1984)
6. Omar Leiva (HON, 1979)
7. Richard Washington (JAM, 1980)
8. Miguel Hernandez (MEX, 1977)
9. Gabriel Victoria (PAN, 1973)
10. Zachari Zeegelaar (SUR, 1989)
11. Ainsley Rochard (TRI, 1981)
12. Adam Garner (USA, 1977)
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25 February 2015Deportivo Saprissa � Club America
Referee: Mark Geiger (USA)
Assistant Referee 1: Eric Boria (USA)
Assistant Referee 2: Joe Fletcher (CAN, photo)
Fourth Official: Baldomero Toledo (USA)
