Refereeing at the Paralympics

The speaker at Seagate Rotary this week was local football referee Ross Haswell.  Ross is a FIFA Assistant Referee for the 11-a-side game, but his talk was on his involvement with the Cerebral Palsy 7-a-side competitions and ultimately as a referee in the sport at the Paralympics in London in 2012. 

The Cerebral Palsy discipline covers a wide spectrum of impairment, from slight to very severe.  To allow for this players are allocated gradings, and a mixture of different abilities must be present in each team to ensure fair competition. 

Being in the Olympic Village for two weeks was an uplifting experience, and seeing the commitment of the paralympic athletes of all sports put into perspective the antics of some highly paid soccer players.

After questions, a vote of thanks was proposed by Dan Moriarty.  Next week will be a club business meeting at Seagate, and the following week, 30 September, there will be no meeting as it conflicts with the first of the Irvine autumn tribal rituals, the night of the Wee Pies.