European Referee Candidate Course underway in Sofia

A European International Referee Candidate Course (EIRCC) is currently taking place in the Bulgarian capital city, Sofia. The nine-day course is organised by the European Refereeing Commission (ERC) in close partnership and cooperation with the Bulgarian Volleyball Federation (BVF). It runs from April 23 to May 1 in the Bulgarian capital - Sofia and it is designed to train and test candidates wishing to join the ranks of the international refereeing community. 

As many as 23 young referees from 21 countries are participating in the seminar.  The course is divided into two stages - with a theoretical part followed by a practical one. 

The first phase ended with a test to assess the candidates’ knowledge and understanding of the rules of the game. Before the examination, the BVF President, Lubomir Ganev personally congratulated and encouraged the young referees: “I have always said that the winner in a volleyball match should be decided based on what is happening on the court, and not by any external factors. Therefore, the referee is a very important part of the game. The referees are the people who need to provide and secure fair play on the field,” Ganev said, before wishing all candidates the best of luck and much success in their current and future endeavours. 

With the EIRCC organised in Sofia, Ganev had a productive meeting with the ERC President, Ms Zorica Bjelic. The Serbian is the chief instructor of the course, assisted by Frans Loderus of the Netherlands. They are both members of the Rules of the Game and Refereeing Commission at the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB), and they so far have been pleased with the organisation of the seminar and have congratulated the BVF on a job well done.

The practical part of the course will see the candidate referees tested in a competitive environment. They all received nominations for the final stage of the U20 women’s national championship that is taking place at the Hristo Botev Hall in Sofia.

If they successfully complete their theoretical and practical examinations, the attendees will become candidate international referees and their performance will be monitored for a period of three years. After that, they will officially become international referees and join their ‘senior’ colleagues to serve European and international Volleyball to the best of their abilities.

The course in Sofia is being attended by referees from Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czechia, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Moldova, North Macedonia, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Switzerland, and the Netherlands.