The Barbados Football Association (BFA) continues to set match official development as a priority, by showcasing the recent strides in its referee capacity building efforts.
The BFA announced it recently hosted its annual Referee Recruitment Course, which forms part of the association’s strategy to attract the next generation of budding referees and develop a strong local pool of highly qualified match officials.
Facilitated by the BFA’s Head of Refereeing, Mark Forde, and conducted by CONCACAF’s Member Association Referees’ Technical Instructor, Trevor Taylor, the course took participants through theoretical, technical, and physical training exercises based on the official laws of the game and will now advance to an apprenticeship period for them to officiate domestic matches.
Forde said the course provided the first step in the development pathway to becoming a referee and said he was encouraged to see young people eager to learn about match officiating.
“Of the 16 course participants, the majority were aged between 14 and 18 years old.
“Without referees, no football can play, so adding these new young up-and-coming potential referees to our BFA match officials’ team is crucial to the sustainability of the sport on the island,” Forde said.
“By continuing to strengthen the numbers and fine tune the skills of our local referees, we additionally strengthen the quality of our domestic leagues and pave the way for continuous improvement across all aspects of football in Barbados moving forward.”
The BFA also announced it will be sending two young referees, Darian Scantlebury and Charles Yearwood, to Trinidad and Tobago next month to participate in a new Concacaf match official development initiative aimed at identifying emerging talent and strengthening regional refereeing standards.
BFA President Randy Harris expressed support for the continued development of match officials.
“As the BFA strives to set a standard of excellence and add further depth to our long-term development strategy, we acknowledge that investing in our match officials is a key pillar of growth that is instrumental to the success of football in Barbados,” he said.
“We currently have five BFA match officials on the prestigious 2025 FIFA International Referees List, which is a testament to the progress the Association is making. This is the highest status in football refereeing and the BFA will continue to create pathways for our next generation of match officials to receive world class accreditation, now and into the future.”
BFA match officials continue to be held in high regard, regionally and internationally, with several local referees this year receiving appointments to officiate matches in the USA, Canada, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, Mexico, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad, Aruba, and Honduras.
BFA referees also currently officiate locally at the Prime Minister’s Cup and the inaugural 2025 Barbados Beach Soccer Championship.
(PR)
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