The Football Association of Malawi (FAM), through its Referees Department, will conduct grassroots refereeing courses across all regions of the country as part of efforts to develop and increase the number of qualified referees from a young age.
The programme will start with Lilongwe, Salima, Dowa and Mchinji, with courses in other districts and regions expected to follow.
The initiative has been made possible through K20 million funding provided by FAM to support the Referees Department in carrying out its activities and strengthening refereeing development in Malawi.
FAM Referees Manager Duncan Lengani said the programme is aimed at identifying and nurturing young refereeing talent from the grassroots.
“Grassroots refereeing is a way of tapping talent from young people between the ages of 14 and 16. We want to orient them on the Laws of the Game so that as they grow, they already have knowledge of officiating matches,” said Lengani.
Lengani said the long-term goal is to develop referees who can officiate at both local and international level.
“Our goal is to build a strong pool of referees who can officiate at international tournaments such as AFCON, WAFCON and even the World Cup,” he said.
FAM believes investing in young referees will help improve the standard of officiation and contribute to the long-term development of football in the country.
Parents and guardians have therefore been encouraged to support their children to consider refereeing as a noble and rewarding career.
The initiative is part of FAM’s wider commitment to transforming the game through capacity building, talent development and improved football structures across the country.