Referee Conference

Annually, Volleyball England hosts a referee conference which brings together referees from across the country for a day of development. It is a fantastic opportunity to meet referees of all levels and learn from and with one another. During the conference there are many discussions about the ever-evolving landscape of refereeing in volleyball. The conference typically covers topics like the psychological aspects of refereeing and managing unusual situations. There are interactive sessions such as quizzes and Q&As, to get you actively engaged in your development. The conference often also looks to the future of refereeing and what we might expect to see further down the line.

2023 Conference

The 2023 Volleyball England Referee Conference was held virtually on Saturday 16th September from 10:00-13:30.

On the day the conference was introduced by Nick Heckford (Officials Working Group Delivery Lead) who outlined how volleyball is developing. 

This was followed by keynote speaker, Roger Harrison (British Basketball Referee) who shared his insights on 3,000 senior games and counting. 

International referee, Sebastian Widlarz, then led an interactive workshop on the use of sanctions for misconduct and delay, which focused on indoor scenarios. 

Volleyball England Competition Project Lead John Worrall answered questions on how officials can get the best out of new VolleyZone, while fellow hub member, Deputy CEO Guin Batten, talked about the organisation’s People Plan, giving attendees the opportunity to provide their own input. 

The conference concluded by international referees Katarina Cepinova and Peter Parsons, hosted by Brendan Fogarty from the Volleyball England Board sharing their entertaining reflections from their time on the international stage. 

If you are a registered referee with Volleyball England and would like to view the recording of the 2023 conference, further details of how to access this will be communicated shortly.

Conference Feedback

The 2023 delegates particularly enjoyed the session on sanctions, Q&A with international referees and hearing from a British Basketball referee saying, "Amazing workshop put on by Seb!", "The session on sanctions and international insights were hugely useful for me" and "Roger was so entertaining". 

Plans are already under way for the 2024 conference. Details of which will be communicated via the Volleyball England website and social media channels in due course.