New Zealand Football has appointed Ken Wallace as its Referee Development Officer.
In this position, Ken is the link between the Referees Centres of the seven federations and New Zealand Football.
A former FIFA Referee, Ken is employed for 25 hours per week.
One of his primary tasks is referee recruitment and retention.
In an attempt to solve the severe shortage of soccer referees three programmes are being run:
1. The Associate Referee Programme
This programme, named the Club Based Referee programme by Auckland Football, is designed to provide training, equipment and uniform for those people who currently act as a Referee or Assistant Referee on a voluntary basis.
Each Club has been asked to appoint a Referee Liaison Officer who will liaise with the local referees centre about conducting Introductory courses on the Laws of the Game.
Participants in Introductory courses are provided with a booklet containing the most up-to-date version of the Laws of the Game, are required to attend a short duration course and then take a closed book test on the Laws of the Game. If they pass the test they will receive a Referees Shirt & Identity Card.
2. The Junior Referee Programme
In this programme, Youth players will be involved in refereeing Junior players in their club.
3. The Former Player Programme
This programme is designed to encourage men and women who have reached the end of their playing days to continue their participation in football by becoming Referees. Talent identification programmes mean that referees can be fast-tracked to FIFA status in six-seven years, which means, for example, that a person who finishes playing in their early 30s can be refereeing international games for up to eight or nine years.
In the past two years NZ referees (both men and women) have had nearly 40 international appointments. They have officiated at the World Cup in Korea/Japan, the Confederations Cup in the same countries, FIFA U-20 Tournament in Argentina, Sydney Olympics, Germany, Switzerland, USA, Australia, Cook Islands, Samoa, Tonga, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Vanuatu.
Ken has also developed resources, i.e. manuals, overhead transparencies and videotapes to enable the Referees Centres of the seven federations to conduct standardised Level 1 Referees and Referee Inspectors courses throughout New Zealand. He has also produced resources, which will help referee centres coach their referees in current trends in the laws.
Ken's other activities include coaching particularly with those Referees striving to achieve FIFA appointment via the National and National Youth League and National Womens League.
