OFFICIALS

Having suitably qualified referees is an essential part of developing quality fencing competitions in South Australia. Quality Referees ensure that the competitors have trust in the competitive process and provide more information and interest for spectators.

State Accreditation is the second accreditation level in the Australian Fencing Federation’s Officiating Training Program. State Referees are confident and capable to referee in State level competitions and some National competitions. A State Referee will be able to:

–    demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the rules of Fencing

–    manage all aspects of a fencing bout including timing, scoring and movement in the field of play

–    communicate decisions effectively through hand signals and words used in refereeing

–    consistently analyse fencing actions and make accurate decisions relating to the awarding of points

–    apply appropriate penalties and sanctions

PROCESS

To gain State Accreditation, a referee needs to complete the following requirements:

–    Participate in a State Officiating Course organised Fencing SA

–    Undertake 15 hours of logged refereeing practice

–    Pass a theoretical assessment and successfully complete a practical observation.

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

To undertake a State Officiating Course, referees need to have current Club Accreditation. To complete and maintain their accreditation, referees need to be members of their State Fencing Association.

MAINTAINING ACCREDITATION

Once they have completed all the requirements, a referee will be granted State (Provisional) Accreditation for 12 months. This can be upgraded to full State Accreditation by completing updating activities as outlined below.

To maintain State Accreditation (and to upgrade from Provisional to Full Accreditation), referees must gain 20 points per year from reaccreditation activities as outlined below:

Part A – Refereeing Practice (minimum 12 points)

The points for Refereeing Practice are weapon-specific, so can only apply to accreditation in the relevant weapon. Refereeing at National competitions can be included with a multiplier of 1.5.

–    referee for a pool at State Fencing Competition – 1 point

–    referee for a direct elimination bout at a State Fencing Competition (including as fencer referee) – 0.5 points

–    referee for a Team Match at a State Fencing Competition – 1 point

In addition to actual refereeing at competitions, a number of other activities may contribute points. The list of approved activities and their point value will be updated periodically by the NCOM, but examples include:

–    completion of training exercises/activities

–    participate in AFF Seminars or Workshops

–    observation/mentoring of referees at competitions

–    other activities approved by NCOM

Part B – General Theory (minimum 4 points)

The points in this section are general, so can be applied to accreditation in all weapons (and the same activity can be applied for accreditation across multiple weapons). The list of approved activities and their point value will be updated periodically by the NCOM, but examples include:

–    participate in AFF or State refereeing seminars/workshops

–    Introductory or Intermediate Officiating General Principles Course

–    completion of First Aid Course

–    completion of training exercises/activities

–    participation in Officials mentoring/training program

–    other activities approved by NCOM

NEXT STAGE

After holding State Accreditation for one year, referees can be nominated as candidates for National Accreditation at an Australian Fencing Circuit event.