FOLLOWING LENGTHY delays due to Covid and travel restrictions, the EPBF Referee Course finally took place over the weekend of 21st and 22nd May, having originally been scheduled for 2020. Taking place at the Arena Billiard Club in Kaunas Lithuania, the course was conducted by EPBF Head Referees at the Miha Vovko and Roman Mirakhmedov.
The candidates were examined over a two-day period using theory and practical work and were graded on both. If the candidate passed on either theory or practical, they received the EPBF recognition. If the candidate passed both, they then progressed to a Level 3 standard within the refereeing structure.
Within the EPBF refereeing system, Level 1 is the highest grade and beyond that, there is the Head Referee standard.
Both Vovko and Mirakhmedov were extremely pleased to get back to teaching as Roman explained; “It’s a long time since our last course but it was nice to get back in the saddle again. The candidates should know the rules before they arrive so it’s more of developing what they know into the standard set by the EPBF”.
Miha Vovko, head of the referee group since its inception, said “It’s always pleasing to see new faces wishing to do our job. Refereeing is rewarding but at the same time demanding and that’s what we try to put across in our courses. 14 participants from eight countries is impressive but it also shows that it was overdue. We had 28 active referees already within the group so these new recruits will be welcomed.”
L to R: Tomas Brikmanis, Miha Vovko & Roman Mirakhmedov｜©EPBF
Andrey, a participant on the course said “It was a very interesting and knowledgeable course, demanding but also involving. Miha and Roman brought a lot of unusual situations to the table which were analysed and explained and I would recommend this course to any budding referee.”
Tomas Brikmanis, President of the Lithuanian Billiard Federation, said “I am very glad that the long-planned pool referees’ seminar finally took place in my hometown Kaunas. There is a great shortage of highly qualified pool judges in the Baltic States.
“After all, it is these people who directly influence the quality of sporting events. Personally, I would like to thank EPBF head referees Miha Vovko and Roman Mirakhmedov for their fantastic work. Both the organizers of the event and the participants of the seminar were satisfied with the final result. All that was left was to wait for the newly certified pool referees to appear in official pool competitions.”
Roman Mirakhmedov summed up the outcome. “We received very positive feedback about the interactive delivery and course content. Many candidates noted that the course went beyond their expectations, and they learned more than they expected. We’re happy to welcome a new group of certified referees to the EPBF family, and look forward to the next course that we expect to take place in 2023.”
If you would like to know more about becoming a referee or joining the EPBF referee structure, contact the EPBF office at [email protected]