ONSIDE partners focus on standards and education of sport officials at their 5th meeting in Malta

The 5^th meeting of the ONSIDE project partners took place on the 17^th and 18^th of September 2019 in Malta. The meeting was hosted by project partner Sport Malta. This innovative EU funded project aims to enhance the skills of sport officials in Europe through the development of new education and training products covering the generic skills which are relevant to all sports.

The project is implementing the lifelong learning strategy for the sport and physical activity sector, also known as the 7 Step Model. The project is now past the half-way point and is starting to produce tangible results for the sector.

The Occupational Map and Occupational Descriptors set the scene by describing the area of sport officiating as a whole and the main positions and roles of sport officials.  These project outputs were signed off in final draft form and are ready to be published later in the project.

The focus of Day 1 was the production of the Functional Map and Occupational Standards. EOSE Skills Development Manager Geoff Carroll led the group through a series of activities to refine the functional map and develop content for the standards.

The partners analysed the functions of the sport official under the “key roles” of:

1. Development
2. Health and Safety
3. Working Relationships
4. Rules/laws and Regulations
5. Administration

On the evening of Day 1 partners enjoyed the fantastic hospitality of hosts Sport Malta, enjoying a walking tour of Valetta, and dinner in the traditional fishing village of Marsaxlokk.

On Day 2 the partners turned their attention to the educational outputs of the project including the Training Module Handbook and E-Learning Courses. The group brainstormed how to proceed with these outputs which will result in the development of new e-learning modules being made available to the sector. Moreover, pilot seminars will take place in the UK and Malta.

The group also heard an update on the new International Federation for Sport officials (IFSO). There is a close synergy between the ONSIDE project and IFSO and these links will be strengthened next year. It is envisioned that IFSO will be a key route to ensuring sustainability of the ONSIDE project outputs after the end of the project.

At the end of the meeting delegates had the chance to say how they felt about the meeting where comments included “very good work on functional map”, “good practical steps on education”, “very nice personal links and friendship between partners” and “great hospitality from Sport Malta”.

Patrick Vajda, President of French sport officials association AFCAM had the last word, saying “I am totally convinced that the conclusion of ONSIDE will be a real added value to the world of judges and referees”.