Referees Committee Looks to Expand Youth Referee Camp

[August 16, 2018 – Yona, Guam] – With the success of the first two Guam Football Association Referee Camps at LeoPalace Resort Guam, the GFA Referees Committee plans to organize and improve the event annually for youth league referees.

A couple dozen referees participated in this year’s camp, held earlier this month ahead of the Fall season of the Triple J Auto Group Robbie Webber Youth League, which is set to officially kick off Sept. 8.

“The purpose of the GFA Referee Camp is to build more camaraderie among our youth referees and also to thank them for all they have done and hopefully continue to do,” said Shawn Spindel, GFA Referees Administrator and organizer of this year’s camp. “We also wanted to give them a better understanding of what it takes to officiate at a higher level, as well as give them a taste of the fitness test required to do so.

“For this year’s group, I was definitely pleased with the number of participants and hopefully for next year, we can grow from the 24 participants, especially on the female side. We also hope that those who participated in the fitness test come back next year and strive to do even better,” added Spindel, who currently is one of two FIFA Assistant Referees in Guam.

Particularly new to the 2018 event was the duration of the camp, which was extended to two full days, with meals and an overnight stay at LeoPalace Resort Guam provided for all participants.

Participants engaged in lectures about the Laws of the Game and listened to guest speakers, including Michael Topasna and Josiah Elwell, who both had been selected by GFA to officiate at the EAFF U15 Boys Tournament in Beijing, China PR in July. Participants also took a referee fitness test, administered by GFA Referee Fitness Instructor Eladio Manansala, and other practical sessions with Kyle Legozzie, Franshay Shippey, Royanne Salas, and Erlissa Delfin.

Topasna, 20, officiated in his first international tournament in 2015 at the EAFF U13 Youth Tournament held in Guam and the following year, flew to Beijing, China PR for the AFC U14 Festival of Football. This year’s EAFF U15 Boys Tournament was his third international tournament as a referee. For 18-year-old Elwell, this year’s U15 tournament was his first international tournament as a referee.

To view the 2018/2019 edition of the Laws of the Game, as well as the 2018 FIFA Refereeing materials, including sample fitness tests, click on respective links from GFA’s Web site at http://guamfa.com/education/referee/learning-materials/

The camp concluded with a luncheon and a presentation ceremony. Each participant received a certificate of achievement from GFA Director of Referees George Stewart and GFA Executive Director Cheri Stewart.

Courses for new and returning youth league referees also will be held later this month. For more information about referee courses, visit the GFA Web site, www.GuamFA.com or send an E-mail message to [email protected]