The ‘wind of change’ blowing through Maltese football has spurred the new men at the helm of the Malta FA Referees Committee to double their efforts to raise the profile and level of local referees.

Constant training is very much at the heart of the MFA Referees Committee’s endeavours to improve standards and to this end, former World Cup referee Alan Snoddy, from Northern Ireland, and Detelin Baialzaliev, senior instructor of the Bulgarian Referees Committee, are the keynote speakers at a three-day seminar for elite match officials and category one refs currently being held at Le Meridien, St Julians.

Adrian Casha, the new director of refereeing at the MFA, was the picture of enthusiasm and pride yesterday as he spoke about his committee’s work.

“Maltese football is going through a period of change and so is the refereeing sector,” Casha said.

“There have been a lot of changes in local football and I can see a positive feeling among local referees.

“We’re lucky to have a new (MFA) administration with an open mind and full of fresh ideas. They are supporting all our initiatives besides helping us improve our contacts with UEFA, FIFA and foreign associations.”

The glut of international appointments for Maltese match officials in the last two months is testament to the good level of local refereeing.

“I’m heartened by the commitment being shown by our referees,” Casha added.

“Comparing standards with that of other small countries, our referees give consistently good performances week in week out.

“This is reflected in the significant number of international appointments for our match officials and the positive reports by the referees’ observers... there hasn’t been one negative report in recent weeks.

“I’m very pleased to say that we have 14 elite referees and 16 elite assistant referees. Of these, 26 have been given international appointments in recent months.

“The new administration puts strong emphasis on training for our referees and this is exactly why we’re organising this seminar. We are delighted that Alan Snoddy and Detelin Baialzaliev have accepted our invitation to be here.”

The recruitment of referees represents a top priority for Casha and his collaborators.

“We have just started a new course for prospective referees and 12 candidates are taking part,” Casha said.

“The area of recruitment is very important for us. Many countries are struggling to find new referees and we’re also encountering this problem. Soon, we will be launching a Referees’ Academy.”

By selecting the same team of match officials on a regular basis, the MFA Referees’ Committee hope to achieve greater consistency between the referee, his two assistants and the fourth official.

The structure of the MFA Referees’ Committee has been further reinforced with the appointment of three new officials.

Charles Agius is the new chairman, Philip Agius has been named assistant referees’ specialist and Victor Mintoff has taken up the role of development officer.

Meanwhile, Casha also gave details about the refs’ exchange agreement with the Northern Ireland FA.

Match officials from Northern Ireland will control two BOV Premier League matches, Tarxien vs Marsaxlokk and Mosta vs Hibs, on October 16 and 17.

During the same period, a team of Maltese officials, namely Kevin Azzopardi, Andre Arciola, Chris Francalanza and Mitchell Scerri, will travel to Northern Ireland to take charge of a Division One match there and attend a seminar.

Snoddy and Baialzaliev both praised the MFA’s investment in referees’ training and education.

“Northern Ireland and Malta are small countries in size as well as in terms of football, so it’s important that we help and support each other,” Snoddy said.

“The structure (of refereeing) in Malta has started to develop very well. We’re delighted to have this agreement with Malta to exchange referees for domestic matches... we will also be discussing the possibility for training camps in the future.”

Baialzaliev said: “The refs department in Malta is doing a lot of work to improve refereeing. The organisation of this seminar is very good.

“The head of the Maltese FA is prepared to do everything to help referees and he’s doing it. He has chosen the right people who really care about refereeing.”