As announced earlier when the Referee Academy was launched on Friday 16 December 2011, the Malta FA Referees’ Committee is organising a Referee Academy weekend for 14 to 17 year olds from next Friday till Sunday coming, at The Diplomat Hotel, Sliema.

A total of 30 participants from nine boys’ and three girls’ schools will be attending – 24 males and 6 females, with 26 from Malta and four from Gozo. The schools involved in the project are St Ġorġ Preca College - Boys’ Secondary, St Thomas Moore College - Boys’ Junior Lyceum, Gozo College - Boys’ Secondary, St Michael’s School, St Elias School, St Paul’s Missionary College, Stella Maris College, St Martin’s College, The Archbishop’s Seminary School, Convent of the Sacred Heart Foundation, Our Lady Immaculate School and St Dorothy’s School.

The programme includes various topics to be addressed by Referee Instructors, discussions involving local referees from the different categories, attendances to a BOV Premier League match and a Futsal League match and the respective post-match analysis.

Mr Norman Darmanin Demajo, Malta FA President, will deliver a closing address.

The follow-up for all participants after the Referee Academy weekend will be weekly meetings over a three-month period, after which they will be given duties to assist referees in the Under 13 league.