Seminar for young talented Beach Volleyball referees underway in Tivoli

A group of 19 young, promising, talented Beach Volleyball referees has come together this weekend in Tivoli, in the outskirts of Rome, for a seminar run by the European Refereeing Commission (ERC). This action is the next chapter in the continuous efforts made by the ERC to grow the next generation of elite referees – together with a series of such actions that the Commission has been promoting for Volleyball referees.

The 19 attendees who made the journey to Tivoli represent just as many National Federations from across Europe. They are learning how to improve and further grow their technical, mental and social skills from ERC President Zorica Bjelic, ERC Secretary Arturo Di Giacomo, the two ERC members in charge specifically of Beach Volleyball refereeing – Oana Sarb and Geir Dahle – and two highly accomplished and widely respected international referees, Charalampos Papadogoulas of Greece, and Stefano Cesare of Italy, who have been officiating at the highest level in Beach Volleyball and Volleyball respectively for many years, doing so with much success.

With the ERC having placed an emphasis on the continuous education of international match officials, this is the first such workshop specifically organised for talented Beach Volleyball referees. The seminar is organised by the CEV in close cooperation with the Italian Volleyball Federation (FIPAV) and FIPAV Lazio.

Apart from the lectures given by the six speakers, the programme includes working groups as well, whereby the participants will be able to discuss and report on their analysis of videos and other materials to facilitate a productive exchange of opinions and interaction among all involved.

The topics presented by the lecturers include themes as diverse as ball mark and medical assistance protocols, preparation of a top referee, expectations from referee coaches, how to deal with mounting pressure and mistakes, teamwork, and the mental preparation ahead of (high-level) matches.

The 19 referees – including as many as 11 females – attending the seminar are: Andrea Lippe (Austria), Kristina Pantelic Babic (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Jaroslav Rejnek (Czechia), Uku Rummi (Estonia), Isabelle Dufour (France), Juliane Koenig (Germany), Achilleas Iskas (Greece), Robert Soltesz (Hungary), Shlomi Muchtari (Israel), Dalila Villano (Italy), Bente Skaug Hermansen (Norway), Agata Jozefowicz (Poland), Patricia Gomes (Portugal), Adrian Bardasan (Romania), Jamie Salvin (Scotland), Aleksandra Sucur (Serbia), Michal Pavuk (Slovakia), Selin Guclu (Türkiye), and Iryna Khodosovska (Ukraine).