Soccer: NZ refs to tap into English experience

New Zealand referee Peter O'Leary. Photo / Getty Images

New Zealand's top referees will soon be officiating in the upper reaches of English soccer following the signing of an agreement between New Zealand Football (NZF) and England's body of professional match officials.

The Memorandum of Understanding between NZF and Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) will see an annual visit of up to four New Zealand referees to England to take part in seminars and workshops run by PMGOL.

They will also referee in English Premier League reserve fixtures.

The visiting referees will also get access to training material and technical analysis as used by top English referees.

New Zealand referees, including World Cup officials Michael Hester and Peter O'Leary, have previously visited England on similar visits, and NZF referee development officer Ken Wallace was excited to formalise the arrangement.

"The English are leading the world in many aspects of referee development especially in the areas of education and the application of technology and sport science, so to tap into that knowledge and experience is a great opportunity for our referees," Wallace said.

In future years PGMOL general manager Mike Riley and a selected referee will visit New Zealand presenting at NZF referees workshops.

- NZPA