Gothia Cup introduces assistant referees from girls and boys aged 15

All matches from boys and girls aged 15 will have assistant referees at the Gothia Cup.

Gothia Cup is continuously working to improve the quality of the experience for participants. Therefore, starting with this year’s tournament, we are introducing assistant referees also in the girls’ and boys’ 15-year-old age category, as part of our sustainability concept, Celebrate the Game, aimed at creating a better environment within football.

– This will create a better match environment, both for the players and the referees, as we increase the number of officials at the matches. It will raise the quality of the games, while also giving referees better conditions to make the right decisions on the field, says Martin Laanemets, Head of Competition, Gothia Cup.

The goal for Gothia Cup is to introduce assistant referees in even younger age groups. The challenge is the availability of referees.

– We are actively working to recruit more referees. We want to be a source of motivation so that referees, just like players, want to continue longer. Referees are participants who should have experiences to look forward to, so they choose to keep officiating. If we can provide that kind of motivation, it is good for us, good for referees, and good for the football world as a whole.

Facts

There will be assistant referees in the following matches:

Group stage matches and playoff A in age categories G18, B18, G17, B17, G17E, B17E, G16, B16, G15, B15

From 1/4-final in age categories G14, B14, G13 and B13 (only playoff A)