A post-season refresher course for Women's Class-1 referees was held at Prince Takamado Memorial JFA YUME Field during the first two weekends of July. This was the first time since last November that the group had met in a group format, with the aim of reviewing the first year of the WE League and preparing to improve their skills for the new season. The course included the following topics:

・Classroom Lecture
- Challenges
- Positioning & reading the game (Referee/assistant referee)
- Tactical foul
- Penalty area incident
- Teamwork
- Refereeing analysis for the second half of the WE League

・Practical Training
- Positioning and response to tactical situations in the vicinity of the penalty area
- Off-side training

・Fitness Check

During the practical training sessions, wearable cameras were used for the first time in analysing the positioning of the referees. The programme is designed to improve the skills of the referee by comparing their decisions and judgements with field-level footage. The course will continue to incorporate a variety of methods to improve the level of the referees.

Instructor’s Comment

YAMAGUCHI Hiroshi, JFA Referee Manager
The refresher course was held over two weeks with the participation of the Women's Class-1 Referees in charge of the WE League. During this course, the participants organised the consideration points using FIFA's “Teaching Material” in the classroom, implemented them in practical training, and identified areas for improvement through the feedbacks of their instructors in order to be able to make prompt decisions on the field. Through repeated discussions with their colleagues, the participants faced up to their own refereeing skills and actively tackled the tasks in the practical training sessions, and we can't help but expect a more confident performance from these referees in the upcoming season. The WE League Cup will also start in August. All instructors are committed to providing a supportive environment for the referees, so that they can play an active role in the competition.

Participants’ Comments

ASAKURA Minako, Women's Class-1 Referee (Saitama)
I participated in this practical training course for women's Class-1 Referees in preparation for the start of the second season of the WE League. It provided me with a valuable opportunity to meet many of my colleagues in person and to engage in lively discussions, which we have not been able to do for a long time. Under the theme of “Further Development of Skills,” the participants were presented with several areas for improvement, such as "Challenges" and “Tactical Foul,” based on last season's refereeing analysis, which we worked on through lectures using video footage, group discussions, and practical training sessions. During the practical training sessions, by repeatedly making judgments at actual match speed based on what I understood in my head, I noticed many things and felt that the knowledge has become firmly established as a skill. This was a very fulfilling course, where we were able to exchange opinions with other referees, receive immediate feedback from the instructors, review footages taken with tablets, and for the first time, see footage from a referee's point of view using a wearable camera, which enabled us to learn from multiple approaches to a single theme and immediately apply the knowledge to our games. I would like to make use of what I have learnt from this course to prepare myself both mentally and physically, so that I can be trusted by the players and teams to deliver an appealing game.

IKKI Chihiro, Women's Class-1 Referee (Shizuoka)
I had the pleasure of participating in this refresher course held at JFA YUME Field. I was able to spend a fulfilling time with my colleagues, where we engaged in face to face discussions and practical exercises. During the lecture we reviewed the 2021/22 season and learnt a lot about movement and positioning, incidents around the penalty area and much more. Especially when reflecting on the 2021/22 season, we were able to share our thoughts with our colleagues on actual events that occurred during the season. Here, we discussed the need to position ourselves where we can observe a wider range of play, as opposed to just looking at where the ball is going, and the timing and speed in which we position ourselves. During the practical training session, we strived to implement on the pitch what we had learnt on the previous day. Making decisions on incidents occurring near the penalty area were challenging, not only in terms of deciding whether a foul had been committed, but also in terms of having to judge the situation in a split second. There are still many areas I need to improve on, but I hope to be able to demonstrate what I have learnt through this refresher course for the sake of the players. I will also strive to become a referee that is needed by the Japanese women's football community, starting with the WE League and the Nadeshiko League.