April 16, 2019
As interest and participation in lacrosse continues to grow around the world, the Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL) recently partnered with the Hong Kong Lacrosse Association to host a three-day training clinic for new indoor lacrosse referees. The clinic featured classroom and on-field instruction for the aspiring indoor referees.
The training clinic was coordinated by FIL’s Chair of Men’s Officiating, Tom Sutton, a veteran official with 14 years of experience officiating for the National Lacrosse League, including three Championships, and Scott Browning, head coach for Hong Kong’s lacrosse program.
“Coach Browning was great to work with in developing the clinic here in Hong Kong,” said Sutton. “Both the players and officials were able to receive immediate feedback due to their great co-operation.”
Hong Kong Lacrosse Association became a full member of FIL in 2002, but is still in the early stages of developing the indoor lacrosse game in the region. The clinic featured 10 participants, including some experienced field referees who participated in the 2018 FIL Men’s World Lacrosse Championship in Netanya, Israel last summer, but were all new to indoor lacrosse.
Since most of the referees had field experience, the clinic material focused on Level 1 and Level 2 officials training. “The participants were great to work with and this was a step forward for developing the indoor lacrosse game in Hong Kong,” said Sutton.
All participants received immediate feedback on their on-field performance as well as written feedback.
To learn more about Federation of International Lacrosse and its Officiating Program visit www.worldlacrosse.sport/officiating.
