In preparation for the annual MUT Schools Community Cup and beyond, the Department of Sport and Recreation decided to run the match officiating training for football and netball. The tournament will take
place on 13 and 14 August 2025, at the outer fields of King Zwelithini Stadium. The football referees training took place from 24 to 26 June 2025, while the netball umpire training took place from 25 to 26 June 2025. The department’s Nomkhosi Ndlovu said the training was part of giving back to the community; all the participants were locals and students. Some coaches from the local sports organisations that will be part of the tournament were part of the training.
Sipho Mchunu, the netball umpire facilitator, said it was recommended that coaches should have the beginner’s level of the umpires’ training. The training will also prepare the participants for the local league. They can also be technical officials, which is why they were not strict about the age. Mchunu taught the participants the rules of the game, game management, hand signals, and the protocol.
Eugene Mdluli, a football referees’ facilitator, taught future referees all 17 laws of the game, video analysis, and the practical aspects of refereeing, such as fitness. Mdluli said it was important for a referee to stay ahead of the game. “The referee must anticipate what a player is about to do. The referee must not be in the way of the ball,” said Mdluli. Mdluli, who trained 26 participants, mentioned they were not strict about the participants’ ages. He stated that some of the referees are now able to work in the video assistant referee (VAR) section, which has no age restriction. The participants received SAFA-sanctioned certificates.
In both instance – netball and football training, participants had to demonstrate their level of fitness.