Swedish, French, English and Czech match officials have met in Chrudim for a four-day RLEF Level 2 match official course, as part of the EU-funded Training and Education Portal project.
The newly instituted course was overseen by RLEF MO tutor Phil Smith. “From the intensity and detail of the debate, it’s clear that the new Level 2 course delivered on its objectives,” said Smith. “The candidates worked long hours to complete all the tasks and deserve credit for the way they set about tackling the content. It was a positive learning experience for us all and proof that sharing our knowledge collectively will ultimately help raise all our standards.”
Lukas Hergott and Ondrej Preininger led, although all the European officials delivered one module, with Preininger achieving his Level 1 educator qualification. He now joins Hergott and Jaroslav Bzoch in the Czech Rugby League Association’s match official education department.
Paris Ghavidel-Asgari represented the Svenska Rugby League Forening, while Jerome Cavalli and Jose Perreira were observing on behalf of the French Federation with Perreira, who has officiated in two World Cups, able to offer valuable insight into elite level performance. France is due to host its own Level 2 course next year.
“The mix of delivery clearly illustrated the key features required to referee,” said Cavalli. “We had extra practise on the field and we all gained out of it especially with regard to the motivations required to become a top level official.”
The TEP is a three-year, €723.000 investment into capacity building through good governance and technical training, funded by €466.000 from the EU’s Erasmus+ project and the remainder from the RLIF and five of its full members. It is intended to build the knowledge and skills of the RLEF’s 21 European members, divided into six regional clusters, through high quality training and mentoring, while granting opportunities to share experiences amongst fellow Europeans dedicated to rugby league development.
Pictured: France's Jerome Cavalli delivering a module.