Arran Williams, Sheffield & Hallamshire CFA Coach Education Administrator said: “It is very important for match officials to be given the chance to practice what are “real match situations” in a safe environment.

“Such an event also gives the opportunity to share good practice and effectively compare notes with each other about situations that have occurred during games where you have been a referee or assistant referee.”

The first session saw Andy Hogg and Rob Woodburn deliver a suggested Warm Up and Fitness session for match.

This was followed by James Bell and Chris Ward looking at the Role of Assistant Referees in two specific situations (i) Looking at Offside decisions and (ii) Signalling Techniques. Each referee was videoed and feedback given to each individual after the session.

Gary Skiffington and Mick Bell then led a session about Positioning in the Penalty Area. This is essential for referees to understand and how this helps with key match decisions.

Finally, Paul Matthewson and David Fields briefed the group on how to deal with Incidents in and around the Technical Area, which is important, as it helps to ensure the game on the pitch continues positively, without what is often unnecessary distraction from managers and club officials.

Craig Grundy, S&HCFA Referee’s Development Officer said: “What a great evening we had and it was fantastic to see such a great turn out of match officials. A big thank you to Staveley Miners Welfare for staging the event and of course many, many thanks go to all our tutors for their input on the night.”

If you are interested in becoming a referee then please contact Craig on 0114 261 5500 or by email craig.grundy@sheffieldfa.com