The Football Association of Wales is this month taking part in a referee exchange programme with the Gibraltar FA, allowing match officials from both countries to take charge of fixtures in the other nation’s respective domestic leagues.
Gibraltarian referee Seth Galia officiated the JD Cymru South fixture between Llanelli Town and Caerau Ely on Friday 7 March, with Michael Macias, and Fausti Guerrero appointed as the assistant referees and Tim Reoch as the fourth official.
Reoch was then the man in the middle for the game between Goytre United and Cambrian United on Saturday 8 March, again assisted by Macias and Guerrero, with Galia as the fourth official.
The four match officials – along with Elite Referees Coach Adrian Bacarisa – also took part in a training day with the FAW’s elite referees on Sunday 9 March, providing an opportunity for knowledge sharing and development for all involved.
This weekend, 15-16 March, JD Cymru Premier referees John Jones and Ryan Kenny and assistant referees James Sheils and Harvey Smallman will travel to officiate in the Gibraltar Football League.
Jones will take charge of the game between Europa FC and Lions Gibraltar, while Kenny will lead the fixture between Lynx FC and College 1975. FAW Referee Coach Kim Fisher will also travel as part of the exchange.
Phil Thomas, FAW Elite Match Officials Manager, said: “The exchange forms part of a domestic and international collaboration between the two countries. It provides exciting opportunities for match officials and referee coaches to experience officiating different teams, footballing styles and cultures which will enhance their development and future progression in refereeing.
“The opportunity to experience officiating football matches in different countries presents challenges that the match officials may not experience in Wales and is therefore massively beneficial as part of their Continuing Professional Development.”
Patrick Canepa, Gibraltar FA Referee Manager, added: “This is an exciting step forward for Gibraltar football as we continue to build strong international relationships and foster development for our officials.
“We look forward to continuing this collaboration to enhance the standard of refereeing and share knowledge between our two associations.”
