8 October 2024
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Match Officials: Q/A
Three League1 BC match officials answer some key questions ahead of International Referees’ Day in October.

From looking back at the season, to important advice and motivation, we pitched some key questions to three of our match officials following the 2024 season of League1 BC.
What is your highlight from the 2024 League1 BC season?
Victoria Warner: “Being appointed to the L1BC Women’s Final.”
Jung-Bahadur Kandola: “My top two would be travelling to do games outside of the lower mainland in BC and being given a semifinal assignment. Both things speak to your ability and trust given as a match official, so I’d like to build on that going into the next season.”
Joey Ratcliffe: “Refereeing Rivers versus Whitecaps in Kamloops during Youth Provincials and working with friends throughout the whole week around that game – even in the heat!”
What is some advice you would give to an aspiring match official?
Jung-Bahadur Kandola: “You have to love what you do to get the most out of it. Many sacrifices will be required along the way, and at times it may not seem worth it, but the one thing that always keeps me moving forward is the love for soccer and being on the pitch with some of the best players in our country.”
Joey Ratcliffe: “Help the players and coaches through the game, don’t view them as adversaries.”
Victoria Warner: “One bad game doesn’t make you a bad referee. Expect to make mistakes and take the time to learn from them. Don’t let the abuse deter you from achieving your goals. If it gets too much, reach out to other referees and your superiors. It gets better, and the game doesn’t happen without referees. You are valued and you will be supported.”

Is there anything you would like to see more from global sport with regards to match officials?
Victoria Warner: “Zero tolerance towards verbal abuse towards officials, and more opportunities for female officials.”
Joey Ratcliffe: “An effort to humanize referees and let people into the world of refereeing. Referees are often hidden and never speak publicly or give the rationale behind their decisions, and this leads to people thinking that we don’t care about making mistakes and aren’t held accountable, when that is the opposite of the truth. It also makes it difficult for us to develop stronger professional relationships with the teams and players that could lead to more respect in match situations.”
Jung-Bahadur Kandola: “More support off the field. I dedicate three hours a day to exercising, stretching and recovering in an effort be to in the best physical shape I could be while on the field, and I also see a physiotherapist and massage therapist two to three times a month to aid in recovery and rehabilitation. All of this adds up in terms of time and money, so more support around the world would help referees stay in peak physical performance off the field and contribute to better refereeing on the field.”

What is your driving factor, or biggest motivation, for continuing to be a match official?
Joey Ratcliffe: “I love the game and the challenge. Having played the game, there is a way I think the refereeing job should be done and I try to do that as best as I can to make the game better for the teams.”
Victoria Warner: “To show my community that there is a place for women in professional soccer, specifically in the men’s game. I’ve gone through a lot of physical and verbal abuse, and have been told I’ll never make it past district level; I want to prove them wrong. I also want to show other girls and women that your participation in sport doesn’t need to end after high school or university, as being a referee gives you the opportunity to continue to be involved, and potentially go further than you would have as a player.”
Jung-Bahadur Kandola: “I began officiating higher-level games again in 2021 and haven’t stopped since because very few things bring me as much joy as when I’m on the field showing teams and players what great officiating can look like. There is also no one that looks like me at the highest levels of officiating in both my province and our country. I am the sole referee of Sikh faith and Punjabi background in my provincial association’s elite group of officials, and there is no baptized Sikh representation among our national group of officials. It is incredibly important for Sikh and Punjabi players, coaches, young referees, to see that someone like myself can and will make it to the highest levels. It would spark hope and excitement within the Sikh and Punjabi communities to pursue whatever avenue of soccer they are currently on, all the way to the top, if they so choose.”
