Today, 25th of March 2022, we are pleased to announce a new partnership with the Irish Football Association, the governing body of football in Northern Ireland, and their referee department.
Following a visit to Belfast, it has been agreed that the IFA will select and reward four young referees from its referee academy, who will be invited to attend one of Referee Abroad’s flagship tournaments, the IberCup Estoril in Lisbon, Portugal, which will take place between th 4th and 10th of July. Furthermore, two referee coaches and a fitness coach will be travelling with the Northern Irish group, offering their expertise also to referees from other countries.
In addition to a group taking part to this year’s IberCup Estoril, it has been agreed that IFA will also put forward the name of one promising match official to join the Referee Abroad Referee Academy, our innovative referee development program. (Read more about the Academy)
“We welcome this partnership with the Irish Football Association referee department. After having seen the participation of numerous Northern Irish referees to our tournaments in the past, this feels like a natural step towards a closer partnership with IFA. We look forward to welcoming their young prospects to Portugal, in what we hope will be just the first of many tournaments to be done together”, said Daniele Curcio, Referee Abroad’s President.
Welcome IFA!