More than thirty young local referees will make history next week when they attend the first ever FIFA MA youth refereeing course to be hosted in Solomon Islands.
This is part of the focus on youth development ushered in by the new Solomon Islands Football Federation (SIFF) executive committee, led by president, William Lai.
This includes a multipronged approached aimed at rebuilding a foundation for the future of football among youth.
The youth refereeing course will prepare referees for the Telekom S-League Youth Division League which is scheduled to take place next month. The competition will be played in the Under-19 age category and will feature the next generation of the nation’s best footballers.
As such it is anticipated that a new generation of referees will be formed when the course commences. This generation comprises of referees who joined the refereeing establishment in the last two to three years.
According to the SIFF refereeing development officer, Justin Mutukera, this is a huge opportunity for setting young referees on the path to their dreams.
“This is unique in the sense that such a high calibre course is being made available to referees at this level. Normally, referees have to rise through the ranks over 5-10 years before they get the benefit of FIFA training so I encourage our young referees to utilise this opportunity well,” Mutukera says.
The participants of this course are selected by the SIFF referee development office based on the involvement of referees in SIFF competitions organised in 2015. The list of candidates for the course are as follows: Miriam Tore, Charles Sau, Daley Tesuatai, Pressley Junior Fafoekona, Natalia Qila Lumukana, Brendon Allen, Thomas Beu, Timothy Niu, Rudyard Malie, Rosevitta Lauka, Patrina Sua, Ingrid Maeuta, Rose Teku, Janet Hoasira, Agnes Ogami, Silas Angitau, Charles Vinei, Sharma Mamae, Andy Hollys Wate, John Menguma, Hugo Sogakolo, Warren Mani, Moses Haumau, George Hugo, Karen Rove, John Ruriti, John Tii, Gregory Houakau, Maxwell Alui.
The SIFF Secretariat is continuing to register referees for the course which starts Monday 1st February, 2016. The course is open only to referees who have completed the SIFF Basic Refereeing certificate training and have undergone practical experience.
