The Dominica Football Association (DFA) has donated more than 20 uniforms to referees of the Dominica Football Referees Association (DFRA), through DFA President, Glen Etienne.
At a presentation ceremony, Etienne stated that the DFA is cognizant of the fact that football refereeing is a “thankless job and a very unenviable task.”
He said the DFA stands ready and willing to assist referees to perfect their craft. “The kits that you have received, is yet another clear manifestation of the interest and value that we place on all our referees. The referees are part of the football family and we must take care of our own. Referees, you are part of the DFA,” he said.
He urged referees to make the best use of the kits and to use them wisely. “Make the kits available to persons who are actively involved in refereeing. If best use is not being made of these kits, it would mean that we would have been wasting our time and scarce resources. We cannot afford to waste time and resources as these could always be channeled elsewhere,” the DFA boss remarked.
He said football is a fast growing sport and as a result of that growth, there will be a need for more referees to take charge of the many games that are being played in Dominica, the region and worldwide. “Let me urge you to take refereeing very seriously as it can be a very lucrative career. There are many persons around the world who have had a successful career in refereeing. You can do it too because you are no different from them,” he said.
Etienne was quick to add that in order to achieve that level of success, referees must first be committed and must at all times display true professionalism both on and off the field of play. “By being committed, I mean that you have to work hard. You have to redouble your efforts. You have to remain steadfast .You must train especially when you do not feel like training. Do your training on your own and stay fit all the times,” Etienne advised.
Etienne called on the referees to “display professionalism” and to “embark on a massive recruitment drive.”
A drive, he believes, that will identify and groom individuals to become referees and assistant referees. “I am sure that there are many persons out there who would like to become referees and assistant referees. These persons need to be indentified and must be trained to take their rightful position in refereeing in Dominica. We understand that this is a collaborative effort and we are certainly willing to play our part,” he said.
He ended by calling on the senior referees, to pass on the necessary skills, knowledge and tips to those that will replace them. “Ensure that you teach them well and give them all the support that they need. Let me urge all referees to keep abreast with the laws of the game and to continuously seek to improve as a referee. You may be pardoned for a judgment call, but there will not be enough water to wash you if you err as it relates to anyone of the 17 laws governing football,” he stated.
awesome
Now it is time for Glen to seek assistance from FIFA to help DFA to upgrade the football fields around the country.
Good job Glen , hope you improve the standard of Dominica’s football. Let our guys think more international.
Dominican Referees are doing a great job without compensation. Our young men should pattern on this trend instead of going the wrong way.
this should not be news, but an obligation of the DFA
@bjr
Agree with u 100%. That should not even make it to DNO. In Dominica insecure administrative personel are always playing cheap politics with every basic thing they do. Obviously they don’t expect the hard working referees to come to referee naked, do they?
They making it appear like is an act of charity.