Canada Soccer hosts 2019 National Referee Camp

Canada Soccer will host 56 referees at a pre-season camp in Bradenton, Florida, from 22-24 February. The camp is an annual milestone for National Referees as […]

Canada Soccer will host 56 referees at a pre-season camp in Bradenton, Florida, from 22-24 February. The camp is an annual milestone for National Referees as Canada Soccer prepares to kick off the professional season which, in 2019, will include Canadian Premier League matches for the first time. Amongst the participants this year will be 18 NextGen referees.

“The expansion of the professional soccer landscape in Canada will provide expanded opportunities for those select referees who are charged with managing the game,” said Peter Montopoli, Canada Soccer General Secretary. “With the addition of over 100 professional games to the calendar in 2019, development and appointment opportunities for the best young referee talent has also grown and Canada Soccer is pleased to be able to lead this expansion.”

The Canada Soccer camp will include fitness testing, theoretical, and technical instruction over the three days. The camp will also include sessions from FIFA instructors Michelle Pye and Peter Prendergast (Jamaica) along with National Instructors Bob Sawtell, Amato De Luca, Daniel Belleau, Jose Branco and Kuizan Weekes.

Canada Soccer is responsible for the development and training of match officials for amateur and professional competitions in Canada. In partnership with our Provincial and Territorial Associations and sanctioned professional leagues, Canada Soccer provides development and training opportunities to advance to the national list of referees and nominations to the FIFA list.