2023-09-24 16:10:19
When a passion for football directs a young woman towards refereeing. She has just completed an internship which will allow her to officiate during international matches including those of the Concacaf league, for example. Vanessa Gittens, a young Guyanese, mother of a 3-year-old boy, mainly devotes her weekends to refereeing football matches.
Vanessa Gittens says that her taste for football came to her from a very young age:
“I was very close to my father who was a goalkeeper in a local team. I watched the matches with him, this passion for football comes from him. »
But going to stadiums and watching matches on television was not enough for the teenager who wanted to become a player:
“When I was a teenager, I told my mother that I wanted to play football. But at the time, women’s football was not as developed as it is today. She told me it was a boy’s sport and to choose something else. So I played volleyball but I always kept this idea that I had to find a way to be on a football field. So becoming a referee or being on the field as close as possible to the game was the solution.”
In 2022, Vanessa Gittens is attempting a new professional adventure in Guadeloupe. One of her colleagues pushed her to make this desire to be a referee come true:
“In November 2022, I followed an accelerated training course over 3 days, culminating in an exam. I succeeded, I was the only woman in this session. I followed up with two other mandatory training sessions before being able to lead a match. I started refereeing this year in April in Guadeloupe. With a few exceptions when we start, we start with youth matches and women’s matches. But this season, I’m moving to regional 3 so I will referee senior men’s and women’s matches. »
Vanessa does not stop at this stage and she continues, stubbornly, to train. Supported by her club, she targets the refereeing elite:
“For this referee course organized by Concacaf and Fifa, there was a pre-selection and a final selection. We are eight referees and two instructors. Among the eight referees we are two women. The training alternated theory and practice from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. for 4 days. There are a lot of concepts to integrate. The Concacaf course allows you to identify talents that might be nominated for tournaments organized by Concacaf. And, it is also regarding being on the same level of information with all the world referees because there are rules in football which are sometimes modified by Fifa. So we are taking stock of these modifications and this allows everyone to be at the same level of information. We carry out evaluation tests by watching videos and must appreciate the game situations and give the appropriate response. We have debates, analyses…”
The team of referees who participated in the Concacaf refereeing course in Cayenne, Vanessa Gittens in the middle, front row • ©Vanessa Gittens
The requirement for these football judges goes beyond perfect knowledge of the regulations of the discipline. They must, like the players, be in excellent physical condition because they are required to run a lot during matches. A point that Vanessa does not neglect:
“It is essential to have physical condition because we must be as close as possible to the action to have the right angles, the right vision in order, then, to make the right decision. We must respect positioning, a ball which crosses the field diagonally, we must be able to follow. It takes physical preparation to be in the right place at the right time. But in my club, I am well supervised and I do specific training.”
Trainee referees at the Daniel Sinaï stadium for practical lessons • ©Catherine Lama
These sports volunteers are often on the field on weekends, which necessarily requires rigorous personal organization.
“It’s a lot on Sunday morning for youth matches in Guadeloupe, sometimes on Wednesday followingnoon or Saturday. You have to make yourself available. But we receive the schedule several days in advance. I am organizing for my 3 year old son who I am looking following. Fortunately, he is already registered in my club, the AOG (the Association omnisports gourbeyrienne), we will be on the same line».
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