Bridgetown, Barbados – The Barbados Football Association (BFA) has reiterated its commitment to the development of all facets of football in Barbados by showcasing the recent international achievements of several of its match officials.
The BFA announced that local officials Keil Howard, Jaselle Louison, and Cleon Culley were given the opportunity to add further training to their journey to qualify as FIFA Match Officials through refereeing at the 2024 Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Boy’s U-14 Challenge Series in Trinidad and Tobago, with Jaselle officiating the Tier I Final as an Assistant Referee.
During the Series, the trio were also amongst a group of match officials selected from across the Caribbean to simultaneously undertake an intensive CFU program to train regional referees for the world stage.
To add to the list of match official accolades, the BFA also highlighted local FIFA Assistant Referee Angelo Doyle, who was appointed to officiate at the CFU Club Shield (formerly the Concacaf Caribbean Club Shield) Final between Arnett Gardens FC (Jamaica) and Grenades FC (Antigua and Barbuda) held in Curaçao earlier this month.
Further depth was added to the educational capacity of BFA match officials when Referee Cleon Culley participated in the Concacaf Referee Academy in Mexico earlier in the year, followed by the Concacaf Referee Academy Consolidation Course recently in Costa Rica.
Cully was additionally impressively a match official at the 2024 Concacaf Girls’ U-15 Championship in Costa Rica this month, alongside BFA FIFA Assistant Referee Abigail Brathwaite who officiated the Final match between the USA and Mexico.
Most recently, local FIFA Assistant Referees Kevon Clarke and Angelo Doyle travelled on Monday to the Dominican Republic on their appointment to officiate a 2024 Concacaf Caribbean Cup match between Grenades FC (Antigua and Barbuda) and Cibao FC (Dominican Republic).
BFA Head of Refereeing Victor Moore said the recent focus on match official development speaks volumes about the BFA’s dedication to the sustainability of football in Barbados.
“Essentially, our objective is to train and build a cadre of officials that reach a world-class standard of refereeing,” he said. “Giving our officials wider exposure and international experience raises the standard of officiating and is a vital part of the bigger picture of creating proper longevity for football on the island. The BFA are complementing these overseas development opportunities with regular weekly physical and technical local training sessions for our referees, as well as continued recruitment drives to scout emerging talent in the field.”
BFA President Randy Harris lauded the recent achievements of the match officials, stating the BFA continues to be committed to leading the charge with forward thinking ways to professionalize the game in Barbados.
“It is my vision for Barbados to be a leader in regional football development,” he said. “Our participation in internationally recognized educational opportunities such as these represents our firm support for setting a standard of excellence at all levels of football on the island, and within the wider Caribbean. For us to progress the sport to new heights, we must continue to be the exemplars of football in the Caribbean, and the BFA will continue to invest in training to develop football in Barbados in a holistic manner to see this aspiration become a reality.”
