Presentation Transcript

1. Case Study: Canadian Squash Officiating Program

   Danny Da Costa, Squash Canada Executive Director
2. CANADIAN Officiating Program LANDSCAPE Squash Canada has been at the forefront of Officials Development globally for the past 20 years Many federations have used Squash Canada’s officiating program to certify their own referees these include: Caribbean Area Squash Association Pan American Squash Federation (FPS) US Squash, Bermuda, Barbados, Cayman Island federations for officiating training and development 3 current World Squash Federation (WSF) World Referees: Graham waters (ex- Director of Referees, WSF), Wayne Smith (North American Director for FPS, WSF and Rod Symington (Director of Referees, WSF) BUT THERE IS A NEED FOR OFFICIATING REFORM
3. THE NEED FOR CHANGE… Changes to Squash Canada officiating program began in the fall of 2012 based on feedback from the Canadian squash community. The changes were deemed necessary for the following reasons: The need for the Provincial/Territorial associations (P/T’s) and Squash Canada to increase the numbers of certified officials in Canada – More Officials The need to facilitate the entry of interested people into the program – New officials The need to facilitate the progression of officials through the program – Better trained officials The need to change the name of the officiating courses to align to the principles of Long Term Officiating Development (LTOD) and competency based training To ensure the entire officiating pathway aligns to the World Squash Federation Competency Structure GOAL: MORE & BETTER OFFICIALS FOR CANADIAN SQUASH
4. Fundamental Reasons: for the change… The current officiating structure has been in place for over 20+ years and consists of 4 levels: ‘D’ (Novice), ‘B’, ‘C’, ‘A’ (Advanced); the structure also contained a marker designation 4 (low) – 1 (highest) i.e., An entry level referee is classified ‘D4’; top officials are classified as ‘A1’ Formal education process took place only at the entry point and consists of in-classroom presentation made by course conductor on rules and certification material - remaining levels relied on assessments and experience as a referee Progression through the various levels consisted of obtaining signatures from different assessors and relied on a number of variables: difficulty of the match; player levels; who the assessor was (PE / NE) and required number of correct decisions. More than 50% of assessments do not count. The entire process from the ‘D’ level official to National level referee could take between 6 to 10 years depending on activity and progression Not enough opportunities for officials to progress and not enough assessors at the Provincial & National Level to conduct assessments.
5. NEW Competency Based Structure (CBS) Purpose: The purpose of the new competency based structure is to determine the following: What are the appropriate skills that should be taught at each level of Squash Canada’s Certification levels? What skills should be tested and/or evaluated at each level of certification? What are the requirements of a candidate to achieve certification at each level of certification? What are the next steps for a candidate to progress through the certification pathway? What are the mechanisms for equivalency, re-assessment and in-activity? *** PROCESS iS CURRENTLY BEING DEVELOPED BY SQUASH CANADA’S OFFICIATING COMMITTEE & EXPERT PANEL
6. A two Stream Approach The new CERTIFICATION structure: a two stream approach The existing certification structure was a 4 step process from novice (D) to national (A) level certification. The new structure will be split into two streams: Community Competition Stream – Referees who officiate at the Club or Local Level Provincial / National Competition Stream – Referees who officiate at Provincial & National Level and lower level professional matches International Competition Stream – Referees who officiate at major international competitions, professional matches and receive designations of FPS Regional Referee and/or World Referee
7. Community Competition Stream CLUB REFEREE: “The Novice Official” The Club Referee officiates at the local club level, officiating club events, leagues and round-robin matches. The Club Referee forms the basis of officiating education in Canada. The Club Referee achieves certification by attending either an in-class certification clinic and scoring 80% on the written test or completing the Online Club Referee Certification e-learning course by achieving 80% on the written test. (Written test is required for both online and in-class clinics). There is no on-court assessment for the first level of certification. LOCAL REFEREE: “COMPETENT LOCAL OFFICIAL” The Local Referee mainly officiates at the community level, officiating club events, leagues, round robin matches and at small provincial/territorial squash events. By successfully completing the Club Referee certification, a referee may begin progressing through the certification system. To achieve the Local Referee Certification a referee must successfully achieve the required number of points through match assessmentsas well as achieving a pre-determined # of points for each of the 5 competencies
8. Provincial / National Competition Structure PROVINCIAL & NATIONAL REFEREE: The Provincial and National Referee Certification processes are designed for officials who wish to officiate competitive Provincial/Territorial and National Events. Provincial Referee is an experienced official capable of handling matches equivalent to the early rounds of a national championship. National Referee is an official capable of handling matches at any level. To achieve the Provincial or National Referee Certification a referee must successfully achieve the required number of points through match assessments as well as achieving a pre-determined # of points for each of the 5 competencies
9. How the new Competency Structure will evaluate Officials? Basic Competencies: (still in development) The following competencies form the basis for evaluation: Decisions relating to ‘access’ decisions Decisions relating to ‘swing’ decisions Decisions relating to ‘player-hit-by-ball’ decisions Match Management – this area includes: confidence as a referee, communication / control / explanations, dealing with player behaviour, dealing with injury and illness, influential interference decisions and advisories, knowledge of the rules Marker Performance – this area includes: confidence as a marker, projection of voice, speed and alertness of calls, frequency of errors Evaluation is based on accumulating points and making correct decisions within each competency to progress through the officiating system
10. Point Structure for new Competency Based System EXAMPLE: Proposed structure utilizes both points attained and correct decisions
11. The CLUB REFEREE COURSE:
12. A Modern Approach Club Referee e-learning Certification Course: The Club Referee represents a significant technological advancement for the officiating certification program in Canada. The Club Referee program allows players of all levels, coaches and prospective officials to become certified across Canada and around the World regardless of where they reside Course Highlights: Ability to move through various learning chapters (course competencies) Use of high definition video examples with explanations Images and descriptions on the rules of squash Pop-up quiz & test questions at the end of various learning chapters Downloadable resources including the rules of squash Certificate automatically generated to successful candidates upon completion Officials database & report generator for administrative purposes
13. Process used to CREATE the CLUB REFEREE COURSE Expert panel formed consisting of leading squash officials as well as a project manager Technology provider sought to host platform (Blue Drop Performance Learning) St. John’s, NL. Expert panel met weekly to build the curriculum architecture plan and ultimately the course curriculum and examination. Permission was sought to use video clips & images from the Professional Squash Association, Women’s Squash Association and the World Squash Federation Content was built and reviewed by Squash Canada’s Officiating Committee, Provincial & National Examiners, World Squash Federation Referees Committee and PSO Executive Directors Content was uploaded using Articulate Software (e-Learning Software), platform was tested internally and externally (2 Free Demo Courses & 2 Official Club Referee Courses) A marketing and promotions plan was created; the course curriculum was translated and onboarding instructions were developed for first time users; Course launched Sept 2013 Monitor Results
14. Club Referee COURSE BENEFITS The course provides a number of key benefits to the consumer: Efficiency – Learn at your own pace and on your own time Learner Center Focused – course has been designed to focus on the needs of the consumer (rules, safety, interference, match management) Anyone, anywhere can take this course – course is accessible to anyone anywhere in the world in 2 official languages; V2 will contain Spanish and possibly Portuguese Ability to revisit the course and access updates – once you own the course you can revisit the course as needed and you will have access to any updates made to the curriculum content Curriculum content is fully aligned to the rules of squash and competency based structure of the World Squash Federation
15. How the Course benefits SQUASH? There are a number of key benefits for club professionals, prospective officials, club managers and squash enthusiasts: Safety – people taking this course will have a better understanding of the rules of squash “leading to fewer on-court injuries” and lowering insurance premiums to clubs and individuals Better relationships between Referee and Players – players taking the course will develop a better understanding of how difficult it can be to be a referee Better understanding of the game & rules of squash – the course will benefit the overall game of squash as people will develop a better understanding of the rules which should ultimately improve the overall presentation of the game.
16. Early Returns Since the launch on Sept 3, 2013: 81 people have joined Squash Canada’s learning channel in the first 19 days of the launch –over 20 people have certified under Club Referee Course Numerous Pan American Region countries are interested in partnering with Squash Canada to promote the program within their own countries World Squash Federation is also interested in using the platform to certify officials at the entry level worldwide – official endorsement and potential agreement forth coming Provincial/Territorial Squash Associations are beginning to promote the course within clubs, at tournaments and in league play A leading squash information company is interested in partnering with Squash Canada to promote the product on their website which receives millions of visitors annually.
17. Next Steps: Where do we go from here? Club Referee to receive World Squash Federation endorsement Partnerships formed with International Federations to promote and sell the course Provincial/Territorial Squash Associations to implement &/or mandate the course at the provincial level for provincial rankings and/or league participation Competency based structure – fully aligned across all levels of certification Development of a assessor training program Development of advanced course for Provincial and National Referees training
18. Club Referee Certification Squash Canada’s Club Referee Course can be viewed and purchased by visiting the following link: http://coursepark.com/squashcanada The DEMO COURSE is free and available in both official languages The CLUB REFEREE COURSE is available for purchase through PayPal for $30.00 CDN. For more information contact: Danny Da Costa, Executive Director Tel: (613) 731 7385 x 2301 or via email: ddacosta@squash.ca