Football Federation Australia and Premier Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) have embarked on an exciting new partnership which will further raise the standard of refereeing in Australia as well as prepare the next generation of Hyundai A-League and Premier League referees.
PGMOL was established in 2001 and plays an active role in developing refereeing standards across the Premier League and Football League competitions. Managed by former FIFA and Premier League Mike Reilly, PGMOL is responsible for the training, development and mentoring of 79 Referees and 260 Assistant Referees.
As part of the partnership, Hyundai A-League Fourth Officials Jonathan Barreiro (25), Daniel Elder (22) and Luke Withell (24) will travel to England in November for two weeks to train with and learn from PGMOL’s top Premier League referees.
Whilst in England they will have access to the expertise of PGMOL sports scientists, psychologists and nutritionists, and also have the opportunity to officiate two Premier League Under 21 matches.
Canberra based Luke Withell was looking forward to the opportunity.
‘I am extremely excited about the opportunity to go to England and to learn from the professional, full-time officials. It will be an education to talk to referees who control English Premier League matches about their preparation and how they handle fixtures.’
FFA Elite Referee Coach Eugene Brazzale is also travelling to England to observe how PGMOL runs their fulltime refereeing and coaching programs with the aim of continuing to build FFA’s fulltime refereeing program.
FFA Director of Referees Ben Wilson spoke positively about the upcoming referee exchange.
‘PGMOL are a world leader in developing referees and referee training program. This is a fantastic opportunity for Jonathan, Daniel and Luke to tap into PGMOL’s resources and further develop their own refereeing skills.’