FFA announces match officials program

The aim of this program, which is part of a wider restructure of referees in Australia, is to ensure the A-League and W-League official referees panel is chosen from the best available talent in the country and that they are adequately prepared for the coming season.

"The Hyundai A-League and Westfield W-League are Australia's flagship competitions and demand dedication, commitment and professionalism from its match officials," said FFA Director of Referees Mark Shield.

"We have been working to ensure referees skills are in line with the game's professional development in this country.

"This process started a full six months before the season's kick off to ensure that our referees are given the best opportunity to perform at their optimum when the season commences.

"The initiation of the Possibles and Probables Candidates program means we can now search across the country, through all the state and premier leagues, to find the best possible referees and assist in their training and professional development."

The FFA Referees Department has been monitoring the performance of the candidates in various state leagues, coupling their performances from last season in various leagues to select the list of referees and assistant referees for the A-League and W-League.

The selected panels will now enter the second phase of the program with a nine-week fitness preparation program to ensure that all panel members reach an optimal fitness level in readiness for Round One.

"We are excited by this new initiative as it is a program designed to continually raise the performances of the match officials," said FFA CEO Ben Buckley.

"Refereeing plays an incredibly important part in the development of the Hyundai A-League and Westfield W-League competitions as well as creating another elite professional pathway for all aspiring young referees."

As part of the pre-season preparation the FFA Referees Department will visit with each club's coaching staff, players and administrators to ensure there is a clear and open line of communication between the players, coaches and match officials for the coming season.