FFA’s referees department was also hard at work preparing the 13 referees and assistant referees who will take control of the upcoming five Sudden Death Finals Series matches.
While players and coaches have been hard at work preparing for tonight-s kick off of the Hyundai A-League 2013 Finals Series, FFA-s referees department was also hard at work preparing the 13 referees and assistant referees who will take control of the upcoming five Sudden Death Finals Series matches.
Selected for their consistency over the course of the regular season, the group of 13 were chosen by the FFA Referees Technical Committee and selected based on their performances over the course of the season.
REFEREES ASSISTANT REFEREES • Chris Beath • Strebre Delovski • Jarred Gillet • Peter Green • Kris Griffith-Jones • Alan Milliner • Hakan Anaz • Ashley Beecham • Matthew Cream • Scott Edeling • Brad Hobson • Nathan MacDonald • David Walsh
To prepare the group for the finals series a workshop took place last Friday in Brisbane to ready the group for the task ahead. The workshop gave the 13 referees and assistant referees from around Australia the opportunity to train together, review key incidents from the season and be briefed on the tactical style of play of teams involved in the finals series.
The workshop was lead by FFA Director of Referees Ben Wilson, with the assistance of the Elite Referee Coach Barry Such, FFA Instructor and former NZ FIFA referee Derek Rugg and FFA Fitness Instructor Ted Kearney. The workshop was also attended by former Socceroo and Fox Sports Football Analyst Mark Bosnich who held an in depth discussion with the group on their role and duties. Bosnich provided a detailed analysis of the key players, playing styles and structure of the teams involved in the finals series and also gave the referees some of his views on how referees can better relate to players.
“This workshop is a new initiative from FFA to prepare our referees for the very important matches at the end of the season,” said FFA Director of Referees Ben Wilson.
“The workshop will improve the standard and consistency of our referees, as well as enhance the cooperation and teamwork of our refereeing trios.
“In an environment where the standard and profile of the Hyundai A-League is at an all time high, the pressure and added scrutiny on refereeing performances has also increased. As a team, I feel that the referees have met this challenge and this workshop will ensure they are ready for the challenges of the Finals Series.
“The selection of the match officials for the workshop was a difficult decision but I am confident that we will have the best officials involved in the finals matches.
“The referees selected for the finals have consistently met the key performance indicators we set ourselves at the start of the season and I am confident they will do a great job in what will no doubt be a highly exciting finals series.”
All of the Six referees to potentially officiate the five matches have had busy years to date.
* Chris Beath has just returned from refereeing in the AFC Challenge Cup Qualifiers in the Philippines. * Strebre Delovski recently officiated in an OFC World Cup Qualifier in New Zealand and is travelling to Saudi Arabia for an Asian Champions League match on April 10. * Jarred Gillett has refereed a number of the big derby matches throughout the season. * Peter Green-s last match was an Asian Cup Qualifier between Malaysia and Yemen in front of 80,000 people. * Kris Griffith-Jones whistled the Sydney derby in Round 26 as well as the first Big Blue in Round 6. * Alan Milliner took control of the Melbourne derby in Round 12 as well as the top of the table clash between Central Coast Mariners and Western Sydney Wanderers in Round 23.