FOREWORD REFEREES “Refereeing remains one of the mainstays of our International Development Programme” Jane Bateman, Director of Campaign Operations for England 2018 When I joined <strong>The</strong> FA in 1998, my role as a member of the 2006 World Cup campaign team was to win votes for the English Bid from the 24 members of the FIFA Executive Committee. It was a fascinating era, travelling to all corners of the world to garner support for England’s candidature. It became evident during our travels, however, that <strong>The</strong> FA, whilst arguably the most famous FA in the world, had actually paid fairly little attention to other football nations and the wider interests of the global game. Sir Stanley Rous, President of FIFA in the 1960’s and ‘70’s, and the late Sir Bert Millichip, a former FA Chairman, had been well-known in the international community, but in the 2006 Bid process, we found ourselves short. <strong>The</strong> visits around the world promoting the Bid were well-received. We were visiting many of the countries for the first time. And it wasn’t enough. What was important was that we learnt from this Bid, and I believe we did. Firstly, our experience demonstrated the importance of investing in international relations; secondly, it was evident that we could and should be playing a greater role in helping to develop the game. It was our reaction to these observations in our Bid travels which led to what I believe became the foundation for <strong>The</strong> FA’s enhanced position within world football – notably the creation of <strong>The</strong> FA’s International Development Programme (‘IDP’). As I made the transition from Bid team to Head of a new International Relations department, one of the key tasks was to define an FA ‘foreign policy’. <strong>The</strong> questions I asked were: how could English football play a role in supporting FIFA and the confederations in developing the game? Could it be an excellent means to promote English expertise and a positive image for <strong>The</strong> FA? Wouldn’t it educate our staff, our coaches, our referees on the global game? And finally, surely doing more would give us a better chance of winning future tournament bids? In the early days, my focus was on three countries designated to <strong>The</strong> FA under the ‘UEFA-CAF Meridian Project’, where European national associations were partnered with African counterparts. England was linked with Botswana, Malawi and Lesotho. I will not forget one of my first visits to Botswana with a delegation of FA Referee Instructors, and the mutual admiration which emerged from the training course we ran. On the one hand, the fact that a delegation from England had made the journey to Botswana was much appreciated; on the other, our delegation was uplifted by the enthusiasm with which they were received, the eagerness to learn, and the level of achievement from referees with so little. Such impressions have been repeated time and time again in all parts of the world since we established this Programme, and it makes me immensely proud. Evidence of how much the Programme has evolved and how much respect it now commands in world football was encapsulated for me at the end of last year when <strong>The</strong> FA’s Neale Barry and Ray Olivier, together with Mike Riley, delivered a training course in Brazil – a country of such football pedigree that we felt honoured to be invited. <strong>The</strong> FA’s co-operation agreement with CONMEBOL, the South American football confederation, dates back to 2002 and has been a great success. I admit to being surprised, given that it was a continent renowned for its football brilliance, but our visits there have been consistently in demand. We are most frequently asked for referee training, and have developed excellent relationships with Ecuador through our annual referee assistance programme. <strong>The</strong> work in Brazil last November complemented this perfectly. Our instructors worked with 33 elite Brazilian referees over four days. <strong>The</strong>y were receptive to our approach to fitness, for example, to discussing the theories behind refereeing such as positioning and movement, and getting those big decisions right. CONMEBOL reported to us afterwards that in the six years of our co-operation, this was the best course we had organised. Praise indeed! Refereeing remains one of the mainstays of our IDP. In Asia, we work annually with elite referees, as well as Asian instructors and assessors. We have also worked in South Africa, as the country seeks to develop its football infrastructure in the run-up to the 2010 World Cup. And our instructors have delivered training in far-flung countries such as Fiji and the Solomon Islands – our partners in the Oceania region. All of these experiences are mutually rewarding and educational. This year sees a shift of emphasis for me, as I move on to England’s bid for the 2018 World Cup. In entering into this Bid, we have many strengths, one of which is undoubtedly the work of our IDP around the world, the knowledge we have accumulated and the friendships and partnerships we have developed. This work will be a cornerstone of our Bid – a key part of our legacy proposals, which will be a prerequisite of the bidding process. <strong>The</strong> referees, coaches and tutors who have been involved in the IDP continue to play their part in promoting England and English football; let’s hope we reap the benefits by hosting the World Cup in our country in 2018. 4 REFEreeing VOLUME 09 5
Change language