The third phase of the Premier Skills Referee Development Course came to an end on April 7. Thirty budding referees, belonging from category 3 to category 5, attended the three-day event held in Navi Mumbai. The workshop was one of many developmental initiatives undertaken by the Premier League in India over the past three years in partnership with the Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL).

The primary aim of the programme was to help these referees be more confident while communicating with team staff, players, and each other. The participants also received extensive coaching from PGMOL instructors in key areas like ‘Denying obvious goal scoring opportunities’, ‘Man/game management’, personal body language and overall recognition of which laws of the game come into play during live matches where they will need to process and make a decision within a split second.

To substantiate the learning process, films from Hero ISL matches were used as visual cues to identify the above-mentioned scenarios. The clippings were also utilised to help the participants identify situations that are more unique or likely to happen in the sub-continent.

On the first day, participants introduced themselves before participating in a workshop on ‘Remaining strong under pressure’. The afternoon session comprised of practical sessions on ‘Dealing with aggressive players’ and ‘Decision making at crucial times’. A workshop on conflict resolution finally brought an end of the inaugural day.

The second day featured more workshops focused on improving various skillsets needed to excel as a referee. After an informative session on ‘Anticipation and reading of the game', the participants were handed an opportunity to put their learnings to practical use in a 11v11 match with referee rotation.

The final day saw participants immerse themselves in more theoretical workshops such as ‘Foul Recognition’ and ‘Simulation’. The programme concluded with each participant receiving thoroughly-curated personal development plans.