MIAMI — The 2025 Concacaf Refereeing Talent and Mentor Program begins its six-month initiative designed to accelerate the growth of the confederation's talented referees and enhance their performance at both domestic and international levels.
The program's objective is to provide one-on-one coaching and support, with mentors closely tracking their assigned referees' progress through domestic and international competitions.
Launching at the Dallas Cup, the introductory seminar will begin on April 12 and conclude on April 20. The program features 16 referees from Tiers 1, 2, and 3, paired with eight top-tier mentors across the Confederation.
Additionally, eight talented FIFA Assistant Referees will support the Referees during their matches at the Dallas Cup. Match Officials will receive post-match coaching and feedback from their appointed mentor and have the opportunity for VAR training.
The Dallas Cup provides an environment where match officials will experience highly competitive international youth matches involving professional clubs from around the world, including Tigres UANL, CF Monterrey, Real Madrid CF, São Paulo FC, Newcastle United F.C., and more.
The introductory seminar includes practical field training replicating the demands of the modern game, technical classroom educational sessions focusing on best practices and general feedback for the delegation, and individual coaching feedback sessions between the talent and the mentors analyzing video clips from their matches throughout the week to enhance performance level.
After the conclusion of the introductory seminar, mentors will closely follow their assigned talent in their domestic and international appointments by meeting with the talent and providing necessary feedback for improvement. Mentors will have the opportunity to travel to the talents' member association and observe them in their domestic league for support.
Mentors will provide a monthly report to Concacaf on the developmental progress of their talent. Additionally, talent will be provided a customized fitness training based on their individual needs as determined by the program's sports science coordinator. The talent will be responsible for submitting weekly fitness data for further analysis and monitoring.
The 2025 Concacaf Refereeing Talent and Mentor Program concludes in November with a two-day consolidation course at Concacaf's headquarters in Miami, Florida, USA. The talent will present their journey and experience within the project, and the mentor will provide an update on the readiness of their talent for future opportunities.
