Referee Winter Training Camp

Cheshire FA CORE Referees attend winter training camp

Over 30 of Cheshire's finest referees got together at Ellesmere Port Sports Village

Over 30 members of Cheshire FA’s Centre of Refereeing Excellence (CORE) recently got together for their winter training camp at Ellesmere Port Sports Village.

Members of CORE get together for two training camps each year; once in the summer and once in the winter.

They also meet up for several training & education meetings throughout the year at Cheshire FA HQ.

Camp attendees take part in a mixture of practical and theory-based sessions, all of which are designed to ensure that they are best prepared for refereeing games of football to the highest standard.

Nigel Freelove, Cheshire FA CORE Director, said: “Referee selection is done very carefully. It’s about helping people that are trying to climb the promotion ladder.

“We look at their attitude towards fitness and nutrition, their lifestyle and availability. The technical sessions are there to try and ensure that all the referees are at the same standard and have consistent thinking.

“[The camps] are also knowledge based. We are very keen on the laws of the game in order to make sure that they have got the best knowledge out of all of the referees in the county.”

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Cheshire FA CORE Referees attend winter training camp
Recently, over 30 of Cheshire's finest referees attended the Centre of Refereeing Excellence Winter Training Camp at Ellesmere Port Sports Village. We went along to meet some of the referees involved with CORE.

In the morning session, CORE referees took part in endurance challenges, including the dreaded Yo-Yo test, before getting involved with a yoga session, led by Wirral Yoga instructor Lee Brogan.

In the afternoon, the referees analysed a range of matchday scenarios, discussing what appropriate action should be taken.

Greg Nixon, Level 4 Advanced Group Referee, said: “Cheshire CORE gives us the opportunity to get together five or six times throughout the season.

“We have the opportunity to gain valuable insights into what’s going on in football across the county, and it tests our knowledge on the laws of the game and fitness work.”

Ben Sutcliffe, Level 5 Foundation Group Referee, added: “It is definitely a good way to improve our refereeing.

“Being able to learn from others is a really good experience, being able to do that on and off the pitch is a great opportunity at my level.”

CORE Referee Tom Cassidy has put his learning to good use, having been selected as one of eight match officials to represent the FA at last year’s Dallas Cup.

He said: “[Going to the Dallas Cup] last season was a great opportunity.

“It’s an accumulation of these events that we go to, building and progressing, that has seen my career as a referee develop to where I am now.”

Find out more about Cheshire fa CORE

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