In this month’s edition of Behind the Whistle, Football Queensland spoke with Troy Perry about his journey through the military to his role as FQ Referee Fitness Trainer.
Born and raised in Central Queensland, Perry first started playing football at a young age before joining the Australian Army as a Physical Training Instructor in the 1990s, where he also continued playing.
“My military life started in 1996 and 26 years later, I’m still in the military,” Perry said.
“The military has a very strong background in football in the army football team itself, and the ADF (Australian Defence Force) team.
“I spent a fair bit of time in places like Townsville, New South Wales, Toowoomba, Brisbane and Victoria. It wasn’t until the early 2000s that I did a senior referee course.”
Perry noted the strong football presence within the military was a contributing factor in pursuing refereeing and eventually, referee training.
“I was a representative player for the army and for the ADF, which also fuelled my passion for match officiating and coaching.
“So, I was doing all three in the military space, which aligned to my job as a physical training instructor for the military.
“I’ve had nothing but a passion for football and fitness for all my life, and that’s probably got me to where I am today.”
In conjunction with his time in the military, Perry also worked as an understudy for former North Queensland Fury Head of Performance Alan McCall during his time with the club.
Working with McCall allowed Perry to transition from a player to a Strength and Conditioning Trainer.
“This opportunity led to completing my Diploma in Fitness and the old senior coaching licence with an advanced pass,” Perry explained.
“Ten years on, I finally got an opportunity to transition and complete the C Licence, which means I now hold both a Level 1 Referee accreditation and the Advanced Coaching Licence.”
As Perry continued to gain knowledge within the officiating space, he soon came across the position of Referee Trainer for Football Queensland when he was posted to the state in 2018.
“I was attending training as an official and at the time, they were looking for a new trainer to come on board,” Perry explained.
“I put my hand up with a qualification through my military background as a PT to then take over the requirements of training and try to establish a high-performance culture through the legacy that was left from all the other great match officials we’ve had in South East Queensland for such a long time.”
Through this role, Perry conducts high-performance conditioning training for referees which includes aerobic, speed, coordination and agility training, the key performance fundamentals of a match official. He also assesses referee fitness based on fitness assessment standards for each competition.
“Training is built off a program foundation that is periodically phased in six-week cycles to sync with key milestones within the season,” Perry said.
In addition to working with referees in Queensland, Perry also facilitates training for the Elite National Program, which includes referees who officiate in the Women’s and Men’s A-League competitions.
“Over the last couple of years, I’ve consolidated that to work both for Football Australia and Football Queensland and also take on additional appointments as the State Trainer now for the entire state,” Perry said.
“My own goal in a fitness instructor space is to get that nomination to become a FIFA fitness instructor. That’s why my love and passion for fitness and football is so strong.
“My reward comes from seeing everyone else achieve their goals as well.”
Through his work with Football Australia, Perry also noted the importance of recognising the efforts of each referee, as he explained.
“When we talk about high performance, you expect everyone gets the best of everything. You expect the players in the high-performance space to have their own gym and their own training facility,” he said.
“You have to remember that the match officials don’t have any of that. They’ve had to rely on themselves to get them to where they’ve got to now. They had to be committed and dedicated to achieving their goals.”
Focusing on dedicating resources and support through material assets is one aspect Perry is continuing to work on through his role as Referee Fitness Trainer.
“I have my own vision which I’ve brought into Football Queensland to try and establish our own high-performance centre not only for players, but also for match officials,” he explained.
“A referee’s performance is based on their fitness. But, their endurance, speed, agility and coordination, all comes down to one fundamental, and that’s the physical training piece.
“Building that framework around material assets is the most important piece that I’m trying to bring into the state space, as well as continuing in the National space.”
Juggling multiple facets of a career within different spaces can be tough to manage however, for Perry, the support from a close network of people can make the difference.
“Through the loving support of my family, I’ve been able to achieve most of my dreams and my goals in officiating, playing and coaching, which, which I’m very grateful for,” he said.
“For my journey, I have a lot of people to thank for that additional support. That’s really important, to create a network of influences. Find your niche in life, because it’s a life journey, not just a football journey.”
