By Abiola Mujeeb
For the last 12 years, Homeless World Cup matches have been refereed by a dedicated team of experienced referees from around the world.
This year, for the first time, the Homeless World Cup has launched its own referee programme to offer practical and theoretical training in refereeing street football and the format of game played at the Homeless World Cup – the Homeless World Cup Referee Course.
The course is designed for participants and staff of National Partner programmes.
It encourages a sustainable cycle of learning and development by giving players the chance to become referees, and it maintains the high standard of game-play around the world. Former Homeless World Cup players who complete the Homeless World Cup Referee Course are also given the chance to be selected to return to the annual Homeless World Cup as official referees.
The course was developed in the Netherlands and piloted in Chile, Romania, and Mexico. The first two full editions of the course were delivered in Sofia, Bulgaria in June, and then in Braga, Portugal in July 2015, in association with the National Partners in Bulgaria and Portugal.
Paul Nagtegaal, one of the Homeless World Cup international referees, developed the course: “The course has been developed in partnership with Life Goals and The Dutch FA, and it is great to see Homeless World Cup partners so keen to get involved. So far, players have really enjoyed taking part. They take pride in their new diplomas and have shown they can be great international referees. As part of the international team of referees, this course is our legacy.”
A participant of the Homeless World Cup Referee Course in Bulgaria puts her training into practice
The course is specific to Homeless World Cup rules and emphasises the behaviour and attitude of the referee – how to speak to players, how to maintain control and confidence throughout a game, as well as how to whistle or move and navigate the smaller pitch.
The majority of participants are former homeless players who want to help support their local programmes. So far, 15 trainee referees completed the course in Bulgaria and 10 in Portugal. From each course, one participant has been selected to travel to Amsterdam next month as official referee of the 2015 Homeless World Cup. Both of them had formerly been homeless, have played as part of a team at the Homeless World Cup, and demonstrated outstanding competence and a positive approach during the training course.
One of the Bulgarian participants is Isus, 19, who played in the Chile 2014 Homeless World Cup. He said: “Sport has already taught me to respect all, no matter where they come from. I decided to do the referee course to develop myself further and learn even more things. If you like the game, you will like this course.”
