Norwegian referees officiate Northamptonshire games as they enjoy training trip to county
The Scandinavians arrived on March 22 and participated in several indoor and outdoor training sessions, oversaw a number of local games and attended a Northants FA CORE meeting before returning home on March 28.
The training sessions at Moulton College included classroom-based post-match debriefs led by Norwegian FA performance coaches, while the outdoor sessions focussed on fitness and specific match-based scenarios to improve the referees’ development in targeted areas.
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Hide AdJames Campbell, Northants FA CORE Academy co-ordinator, said: “This exchange provided an excellent platform to develop both Norwegian and Northamptonshire Academy referees.
"By undertaking joint physical and classroom learning - as well as officiating on local games - this opportunity benefitted each referee’s personal and professional development.
"The NORCORE programme is similar to the Northamptonshire FA CORE and Academy programme, so it was good to learn and share ideas with our Norwegian colleagues.”
Northamptonshire FA also organised for the Norwegian officials to referee a number of local games during the trip.
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Hide AdOn Saturday morning (March 24), a team of three oversaw a Northampton Town U16 fixture, whilst several other games – including Rushden & Higham United v Blackstones, Leicester City Ladies v Northampton Town Ladies and Huntingdon Town U18s v Rothwell Corinthians U18s – were also overseen by the NORCORE officials.
Luke Scott, Northants FA rReferee development officer, said: “Northamptonshire FA was delighted to welcome members of the Norwegian CORE programme to the county.
"This provided a fantastic opportunity to build a long, mutually beneficial relationship with the Norwegian officials and put the development work that the Northants FA Referee Development Team does on the map.
“We are extremely grateful for James Campbell’s efforts in helping to organise the exchange, and it was pleasing to see so many leagues (The United Counties League, East Midlands Women’s League and the Northants Senior Youth League) help make the trip a success
" A special mention must also go to Moulton College and Northampton Town Academy for being so accommodating.”