Over 300 match officials from all levels of the game attended Football Queensland (FQ)’s 2020 State Referees Conference, held last Sunday at The University of Queensland’s Schonell Theatre.

This year’s conference welcomed guest speakers including Mathew Cheeseman from Football Federation Australia (FFA) and FFA instructor and former FIFA assistant referee Paul Eldridge.

FFA Referees Manager Cheeseman presented a session on International Football Association Board (IFAB) law changes and a national update from the FFA, while Eldridge’s presentation on handball review generated significant discussion amongst delegates in attendance.

In addition to the guest presentations, host Simon Smale facilitated an engaging Q&A with referees Mi Suk Park, Casey Reibelt, Peter Green and Alex King, and powerchair footballer Tristram Peters, discussing their football experiences from a match official and player perspective.

FQ Chief Executive Officer Robert Cavallucci, State Referee Manager Jacqui Hurford and State Referees Coach Mark Simon-Green were also in attendance to present updates at the 2020 State Referees Conference.

Hurford said referees from all levels of the game were in attendance at this year’s conference.

“It was fantastic to see a wide range of referees in attendance at the 2020 State Referees Conference, from those only in their first year of refereeing to others who had years of experience in the game,” Hurford said.

“We’d like to thank our guest speakers and all those in attendance for contributing to such a productive and positive day.

“We look forward to working with all our Queensland referees throughout the 2020 season, and continuing to grow and strengthen refereeing across the state.”

Images: David Maskell