The Fédération Tahitienne de Football (FTF) held two courses earlier this year in Papeete, which saw FIFA Instructors attend in person for the first time in two years.
Perry Gautier was the instructor for the Futsal Referees Course in February, while Alain Lim led a football MA Referees Course in March.
Both travelled from Belgium and Mauritius respectively to present the five-day courses.
The events saw a mix of new and experienced referees learning the Laws of the Game, with practical sessions held to allow participants to apply what they learned in different match situations.
With Lim being fluent in the French language, an added bonus was that a translator wasn’t necessary.
He said the enthusiasm shown by each participant was the main highlight of his course.
“I could tell everyone was excited to have me after two years of online interaction with anyone from FIFA,” Lim said.
“The last two days we started the course one hour before the scheduled time because they were punctual and for a lot of them they travelled to the island by boat.”
Gautier said because each member was motivated to learn futsal, their self-confidence and involvement improved as each day went on.
“I really enjoyed working with the referees and the more they got involved, the more positive I felt on the course,” Gautier said.
“Tahiti had a good management team led by Tahitian referee Norbert Hauata which made it more comfortable to run and I look forward to the development of futsal in French Polynesia.”
