WPBSA Stages Biggest Ever Refereeing Course

The biggest ever WPBSA Refereeing Course took place on Thursday at the Northern Snooker Centre in Leeds, England.

A total of 45 prospective new referees took part in the WPBSA Class 3 Refereeing Course which is endorsed by leading awarding body 1st4sport Qualifications.

The course is led by WPBSA Head of Coaching and Training Development Manager Chris Lovell, alongside WPBSA Referee Course Coordinator Glen Sullivan-Bissett, while current WST and WPBSA referees Colin Humphries, Julian Bell, Graham Mason, Paul Bannister and Peter Ogburn each took on the mentorship of a group of the new officials.

The two-part course began in July with online sessions before the group headed to West Yorkshire earlier this week for the second stage which sees the teaching of vital basic skills including learning the rules, how to handle the balls and set up the table, how to brush and block the table, use of a scoreboard and more.

For these prospective referees, the next steps include an official rules check before taking on six official practice matches to hone their skills in the field. Once ready, they will then be observed and assessed during a further official match by their mentor.

Lovell said: “It is fantastic to see such a great turn out for the WPBSA Class 3 Refereeing Course. We are aiming to provide a volume of qualified referees to support the wonderful growth of amateur snooker and give people the opportunity to put their gloves on and support our sport around the world.”