Recap: RFYS-AIFF successfully conduct two-day Women Match Officials’ Workshop in Kolkata

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Over the course of two days, up to 32 women officials registered with the AIFF from around six cities. They received hands-on field and classroom training, in a first-of-its-kind workshop which covered a broad spectrum of subjects, including foul-play, challenges, off-side, and developing leadership and management skills. In addition to it, the young budding referees also took part in other fun-filled activities.

The workshop was held under the tutelage of Chief Refereeing Officer - Trevor Kettle - and Course Director & Referees Committee Member - Maria Rebello - on behalf of the AIFF. Trevor has a bagful of experience having officiated in over 800 competitive games, while Maria is a former Indian footballer and also the first woman to officiate in the Santosh Trophy and Men’s I-League matches. With such experienced individuals at the helm, the young and upcoming referees would have undoubtedly taken a leaf or two from their book.

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AIFF Chief Refereeing Officer, Mr. Trevor Kettle,
spoke in-depth about the workshop. Here are some excerpts from the candid interview.

Significance of this workshop

“It's a very exciting opportunity. There are many aspects of refereeing development which need to happen from youth, grassroots, women amateur football and league football. Reliance Foundation has brought the opportunity for us to start with the development of referees.”

The topics that were covered at the workshop

"We wanted to cover a wide range of topics. We did, in fact, cover the AIFF Vision 2047. We looked at foul play, team tactics that were exciting for them, and they also gained a better understanding of the game's laws. There were numerous aspects, but it goes far beyond that. It was critical to develop their leadership and management skills because refereeing requires courage and leadership. We're attempting to develop those skills as much as the technical aspects of the game."

Teach ‘em young: On interactive and fun-filled techniques to teach

“If you are teaching young children, you need to make teaching fun & interactive because people remember what's been spoken about. It reinforces learning. The more interactive and fun it is, people will enjoy it more. Most importantly, we hope that in future women's seminars, these women will return for additional training and keep learning more.

On transferring the ounce of knowledge to the budding talents

“Sharing knowledge and experience is absolutely key. When I have officiated so many games and had so many different experiences, I can actually pass on that knowledge to these budding referees as well.”

Reliance Foundation Youth Sports’ initiative with AIFF

“These types of workshops, in my opinion, should be ingrained in our strategy. There is a lot to be done in many areas of referee development. Even better if we could form alliances with various organisations to accelerate some of the refereeing development. Certainly, in the future, I would like to see us develop women's and youth refereeing in collaboration with the Reliance Foundation."

A message for the budding referees

“One key message is, really have fun. Referee instils many qualities in you that will aid in your personal development. It gives you leadership skills, management skills, conflict resolution skills, and demonstrates your bravery."

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AIFF Referee instructor, G Murthy is optimistic that this partnership between RFYS & AIFF will yield good returns in the future.

“As far as the women referees are concerned, this will undoubtedly yield fruitful results. They (Reliance Foundation Youth Sports and AIFF) are going to drastically improve the scope of women's refereeing in India.” - The AIFF Referee instructor added.

Pratik Mondal, a senior Category 1 referee who is currently officiating in the Indian Super League [ISL], was also in attendance at the workshop. The referee, who hails from Kolkata, has been plying his trade as a referee for over 13 years now. In the workshop, he was seen discussing his experiences and insights with the young referees.

The senior referee heaped praise on the ground-breaking initiative driven by RF Youth Sports and AIFF and also expressed how this one-of-a-kind workshop will benefit the youngsters.

“The workshop is definitely beneficial. There were no opportunities like this when I first started as a referee. We got a hold of it after attending several AIFF workshops. With an opportunity like this, I'm pretty optimistic that this workshop would have surely helped the budding referees gain key on-field insights and classroom training. Reliance Foundation Youth Sports are doing a commendable job by joining hands with the All Indian Football Federation [AIFF].” - Mondal stated.

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Hear it from the participants.
Sujata, a Category 2 assistant referee from Kolkata who attended the workshop, shared her experience:

"I am a Category 2 assistant referee. In 2011, I began my career as a referee. It's been a wonderful ride, with many ups and downs. I previously officiated in the RFYS tournament in 2018, where I learned a lot of things. In terms of the workshop, we learned a lot about the laws of the game and many other aspects. What was even better was that we got to meet other referees from different regions. We learned a lot from each other. All in all, it was a learning curve for everyone.”

Monjira Khatun, a category 4 referee from Kolkata, recalled her experience and also shared her takeaways from the workshop.

“Refereeing is my passion. My first brush with refereeing was in 2019. First and foremost, I want to thank the Reliance Foundation for providing me with the opportunity to attend the workshop and learn more about the nuances of refereeing. I'd like to thank the instructors, Trevor sir and Maria ma'am, for their invaluable guidance throughout the workshop."

The Reliance Foundation has always been committed to the growth and expansion of women's football in India. Women's football has grown rapidly in popularity across the country in recent years. This was abundantly clear during the 2022-23 season of the RFYS Football Championship, in which many young girls competed. Reliance Foundation intends to contribute more to the development of women's football in the near future, with more such workshops in the works.

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