PHOTO: (L-R) Corey Boag and Brock Smith, who were selected to attend the NNSWF Boys Match Officials Talented Officials Pathway (TOP) Camp in Coffs Harbour.
Local match officials Corey Boag and Brock Smith were the representatives for FFNC at the Northern NSW Football Talented Officials Program (TOP) Camp, which was held in Coffs Harbour over the June long weekend.
The camp is run in conjunction with the Northern NSW Football (NNSWF) Telstra Boys State Championships and offers selected match officials an opportunity to receive elite referee coaching from NNSWF’s Match Official Development and Administration Officer, Brad Carlin, current A-League Assistant Referee James Cleal, National Youth League Grand Final Referee, Stephen Lorrie and FFNC Match Officials Co-ordinator, Luke Mackney.
Unfortunately this year the weather was very unkind, with continued rain leading to the cancellation of the tournament, however the camp still provided the participants with in-depth coaching within the classroom. While disappointing that they weren’t able to gain feedback on games, the camp was a great chance to develop their theoretical knowledge and also meet other match officials from across Northern NSW.
FFNC Match Officials Development Officer, Anthony Smith said, “the camp provides our local match officials with an opportunity to gain further feedback about their refereeing and learn skills to assist their development as a match official. It’s unfortunate for the boys that the weather meant they weren’t able to put their theory work into practice, however we look forward to providing added support to them to ensure their increased knowledge proves beneficial in their upcoming games.”
