The Guyana Football Federation (GFF) conducted a referee introduction course, which was successfully completed by 12 individuals on Sunday at the National Training Centre in Providence.
This was disclosed in a release from the federation. According to the correspondence, the forum, which lasted from April 5th-7th and featured theoretical and practical sessions encompassing international regulations and guidelines, was administered by the GFF’s Refereeing Department.
Natasha Lewis, Abdullah Hamid, and Ingram Johnson, along with fitness instructor Tyrone Tyrrell, served as the respective instructors.
Meanwhile, the participants were: Aldrin Benjamin, Sheldon Toney, Kezia McLennan, Derick Daniels, Stefon Daniels, Jenel Walker, Wesley McDonald, Andre Sampson, Alliyah Elexey, Jaheim Crandon, Tiffany Lord, and Kevin Morean. GFF Head of Referees Lenval Peart admitted that while he was pleased at the response from individuals from Region #6, he was disappointed in the absence of participants from Georgetown.
According to Peart, while the GFF continues to invest in training programmes for officials in a bid to increase the referee pool locally, that can only be achieved if the respective associations are dedicated to this process.
Meanwhile, former player Elexey added, “I love football, so that’s the reason why I decided to become a referee,” adding that many residents from the Region #6 area are interested in the sport, “but because of the whole stigma and everything, when it comes to females playing football, it’s basically tough. I want to be that guiding light for them to let them know you don’t have to be a male to like football; you can be a female, and they have different opportunities for females in football; for instance, they need a lot of female referees.”
