SINGAPORE, 15 JANUARY 2020 – The Football Association of Singapore (FAS) held its annual Match Commissioner and Venue Manager Seminar over the weekend as part of preparations for the 2020 domestic season.

 

Held at Jalan Besar Stadium, the third iteration of the seminar was attended by 55 participants, which comprised 30 newcomers.

 

In his opening address on Saturday, FAS General Secretary Yazeen Buhari noted that as part of FAS’ continuous efforts to improve and enhance match-day administration and operations, the role of a Match Commissioner (MC) has become “increasingly vital”. The MC plays a key role in ensuring that all matches, whether at the professional level such as the Singapore Premier League (SPL), or the amateur youth leagues, are properly organised.

 

The role of Venue Managers (VM) for the FAS-MOE League 1 Schools Competition was also introduced; they will play a similar role to that of a MC at these matches.

 

The evolution of the seminar also reflected FAS’ efforts to tailor the content to the needs of the participants. During the first edition in 2018, a consultant from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) was brought in to impart top-level expertise; last year’s saw a shift in focus to localising the course material.

The latest edition was tweaked to further cater to the participants, who were divided into two groups: the MC1 group that consisted of SPL MCs and the MC2 group that comprised the MCs for amateur competitions and newcomers. This made the course more relevant to each of the groups, according to FAS Head, Competitions Division, Aloysius Vetha.

 

“For the SPL match commissioners, they were given very in-depth training and content on how to better prepare their duties for the SPL,” he told FAS.org.sg. “Our focus for that (second) group was to give them the basics and prepare them in future for if they are ever promoted to the SPL… So, it (the division) was really to make the information very palatable to the various groups.”

 

Mohd Kamaludeen, who has 10 years of experience as a MC, including the last three in the SPL, concurred and noted that it will help to keep the MCs on their toes.

 

“All of us actually came in for the seminar with very high expectations,” he told FAS.org.sg. “Separating us into two groups, that is a very good initiative… I feel that this should continue because it will make the class more attentive and productive.”

 

He added: “This is a very good platform for those juniors (newcomers) who know that there is one “league” higher; it is like promotion and relegation. So if I want to be promoted, I need to do well… but (at the same time for those) experienced MCs, if we don’t work hard, we can be relegated.”

 

MORE TO COME

 

Over the two days, the participants were briefed by various staff members of the FAS Competition Division, as well as representatives from the Referees’, Marketing and Corporate Communications departments, which helped to paint a complete picture of match-day operations at FAS matches.

 

As the seminar drew to a close, the participants sat for theory and practical examinations. In order to become a licensed MC and/or VM, candidates will need to pass both components. Successful participants will join the current roster of FAS MCs; about 35 MCs will be chosen for the 2020 season, Aloysius indicated.

 

Some of the participants also had feedback for future editions of the Seminar, where they hoped to see more opportunities for exchanging views.

Ashley Arriola, one of the newcomers, told FAS.org.sg, “The course was well-run and it was great that the structure was given to us all beforehand so we knew what to expect… There was also a good balance of theory and practical portions, which helped me to understand the different components of the role. In addition, I thought that the addition of an MC2 to each group of new applicants was useful.

 

“While splitting the cohort into two groups has some benefits, it would (also) have been great for one theory/practical session to have been for the entire cohort as I was keen to hear (and benefit from) the experience of the more senior MCs.”

 

Kamaludeen added: “Perhaps if we were allocated about one to two hours to give more feedback and sharing the challenges that we faced… that would be perfect.”

 

FAS Head, Competitions Division, Aloysius assured that feedback would be taken into consideration and also shared next steps for the seminar, noting, “The next phase will be the introduction of the MC instructors… So in future they (MCs) can actually adopt a segment or two at the seminar and teach them (their compatriots)… based on their experience. I (also) want to start a committee to look into the welfare of the MCs… then we can take their feedback and raise it to the relevant FAS Standing Committees. Hopefully, by 2021, we will have a good structure in place.”

 

The FAS would like to thank all participants for taking their time to attend the seminar; participants will be notified of the outcome of the examinations in due course.

 

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