Growing next generation of elite referees identified as priority at annual ERC meeting

The members of the European Refereeing Commission (ERC) convened this past weekend in Belgrade for the last plenary meeting of the 2020-2024 term, with CEV President Aleksandar Boričić seizing this opportunity to address the ERC to share his vision for the future of the sport, with an obvious focus on refereeing. 

“The court is the heart of our sport and with this in mind, we shall do everything in our power to protect the integrity of our sport and especially to protect our players. Therefore, continuous, and productive communication between referees and players is of the utmost importance to prevent any potential conflicts and to solve any existing issues,” the CEV President said. “Looking at the future, we need young and energetic referees, wishing to learn continuously, to improve themselves, to take on their responsibilities, and to show personality,” he added.  

The extensive agenda of the meeting chaired by ERC President Zorica Bjelić included nominations for the upcoming stages of the CEV European Cups 2024, as well as a review of the respective lists of Volleyball, Beach Volleyball and Candidate Referees, plus Challenge Referees and Referee Coaches, with the latter ones playing a key role in mentoring and growing the next generation of elite international referees. 

This is a strategic priority that the ERC has been pursuing for quite some time already. With this major goal in mind, the ERC will continue to provide educational opportunities in 2024, starting with the delivery of a seminar for female Volleyball and Beach Volleyball referees, open to both candidates and those who have already achieved their international status since quite some time. Moreover, a European International Referee Candidate Course (EIRCC) will be organised in 2024, with further details due to follow at a later stage. 

Together with education, mentoring is another pillar in the ambitious journey and process of growing highly qualified referees. Therefore, the ERC will launch in 2024 a ground-breaking initiative, whereby 10 experienced referees will work closely with 20 younger ones to support their continuous growth and further development. 

At their meeting in the Serbian capital, the ERC members also reviewed the use of the Challenge System at this year’s CEV EuroVolley Men and Women, as well as the relevant statistics to have an even better understanding of how this tool is being exploited and to what extent it can help raise the quality of Volleyball refereeing, with obvious benefits for referees, coaches, and players alike. Moreover, the ERC members discussed and validated proposals to ‘upgrade’ referees to higher echelons of the CEV and FIVB classification categories.