Football Federation Australia (FFA) Referees department invited SCA to present on sports chaplaincy to their A-League, W-League and FIFA Referees and Staff this weekend.

The annual Hyundai A-League and Westfield W-League referees workshop was held at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra with the match officials completing their fitness tests and attending lectures regarding the latest developments in refereeing.

Cameron Butler was invited by FFA Director of Referees Ben Wilson to speak to the referees about the role of a chaplain in high performance sport. “Most people forget that referees are high-performance athletes themselves. We too often relate high levels of competitive stress, both physically and emotionally with sportspeople and overlook our officials. But referees more often than not require more support because of the very hostile nature of their role.” Butler said.

He said that, “it was clear to me that our FFA referees care deeply about the game.” and they deserve “the best support possible.”

“We take the role of pastoral care for referees and umpires very seriously and hope to see more chaplains trained in the coming 12 months.”

FFA Director of Referees Ben Wilson expressed his gratitude to Cam Butler for the presentation.

If you would like to know more about how to serve officials as a chaplain please contact SCA in your State.

Read more on FFA Referees here http://www.footballaustralia.com.au/article/ffa-announces-a-league-w-league-and-nyl-match-officials/9jmnk1q67cc81vncl0wjstfu5#4FEXGMmtAZB02Hq2.99