Montserrat Hosts First Official Referee Training Course

The Montserrat Football Association (MFA) has marked another milestone in the rebuilding of local football after successfully hosting the island’s first official referee training course.

Held from July 3 to 5 at the MFA Blakes Complex in partnership with Concacaf, the Introductory Refereeing Course brought together 25 aspiring referees, including six women and 19 men. Nearly half of the participants were under the age of 25, highlighting growing interest among young people in football officiating.

According to Concacaf records, the course marked a historic milestone for football development on the island, establishing a formal pathway for referee education in Montserrat.

The three-day course was led by Concacaf Refereeing Development Coordinator Malcolm Ramsey, Support Technical Instructor Jermaine May and FIFA Fitness Instructor Alan Brown. Participants completed classroom sessions and practical field exercises covering the Laws of the Game, positioning, decision-making, communication, match management, fitness and coordination.

One of the highlights of the programme came on the second day, when trainee referees officiated a friendly match involving the MFA’s Under-14 players. Working under the guidance of the Concacaf instructors, participants rotated through refereeing responsibilities while receiving immediate feedback on positioning, movement, communication and recognising offences.

The afternoon session challenged participants to analyse real match footage involving handball decisions, offside calls, tactical fouls, penalty area incidents and player challenges. Divided into groups, the trainees were required to justify their decisions using the Laws of the Game, an approach Ramsey said reflects the standard method of referee education across Concacaf.

Ramsey praised the standard shown throughout the course.

“Although Montserrat has never had an official referee training programme before, the participants showed strong potential,” he said, adding that he believes the island has the capacity to produce FIFA referees in the future.

Fitness testing also formed an important part of the programme.

Participants completed the Assistant Referee Intermittent Endurance Test (ARIET), which combines forward running and lateral movement to simulate the demands of officiating during a match. While elite FIFA referees complete the assessment at level 19, Montserrat’s trainees reached level 14, providing instructors with a benchmark for future development.

The candidates were also assessed over a 10-metre sprint, with several recording times between 1.76 and 1.9 seconds.

Brown recorded participants during field exercises before reviewing the footage with them during classroom sessions, allowing referees to compare their own assessment of their performance with observations from the instructors.

He said the process helps create a shared understanding of strengths and areas requiring improvement while supporting long-term referee development.

Acting General Secretary Thandie Williams described the course as an investment in the future of football on Montserrat.

“Referees are an essential part of football. Without trained and confident match officials, we cannot properly grow competitions at the grassroots, youth and senior levels. This course is therefore not simply a training exercise; it is an investment in the future structure and sustainability of football on Montserrat.”

Williams said the association intends to continue supporting participants as they develop their officiating careers and work towards establishing a structured Referee Department.

Instructor Jermaine May also praised the participants.

“The referees have a good attitude. They are enthusiastic and comfortable with learning,” he said.

The MFA thanked Concacaf and the three instructors for their support in delivering the historic programme and congratulated all 25 participants for helping establish what it hopes will become a sustainable referee development pathway for football on the island.