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Former FIFA referee Tony Camacho discusses the ambitions, changes, and challenges during League1 Ontario’s preseason program for match officials.

Preseason for is well under way for League1 Ontario match officials who are taking part in training sessions ahead of the 2025 campaign.

Training began at Acton and Pickering soccer clubs in January and continues through February and March, culminating in a special session in April led by representatives from TFC Academy and Canada Soccer.

There are more than 160 match officials in the 2025 League1 Ontario group – up from 140 last season – who will once again be fronted by former FIFA referee Tony Camacho.

While this is positive growth, there will always be a need for new officials as the game progresses in Canada, and the training Camacho and his team provides is a crucial step in their development.

“We did an anonymous survey with all our match officials at the end of the training last year to receive some honest feedback,” said Camacho. “The highest number of complaints we received is that we don’t spend enough time with them.

“They want more training, everybody is eager. The more experienced officials love coming out and sharing their knowledge with younger officials, and myself and the instructors also love it.

“Even some of our national referees are now volunteering to help with the practical sessions; they want to get involved as well.”

Camacho expects to reach maximum capacity for the remaining sessions as the season draws closer, despite venue challenges threatening the training plans all together.

“We lost the two facilities at very late notice and there was a possibility we’d have no winter training. We were lucky that we secured the two facilities that we do have.

“Although they are smaller venues, smaller groups can lead to more people getting involved and asking questions. In a practical session, there will be less time spent standing around and repetitions will be done that little bit quicker.

“The referees arrive in the morning, and we divide them into two groups with a mix of senior and youth referees. One group will go into the classroom where we will review clips and cover law changes, while the other group will take part in practical sessions on the field. They’ll then have a short break and switch over.”

Camacho has established that positioning and communication are some of the biggest focuses for the program, which is fully funded by League1 Ontario.

He also has ambitions for players, coaches, and spectators who can have an important role on match official development during the season, which kicks off almost immediately after a unique session that will conclude the training program.

“We are going to have a TFC Academy coach come out with Canada Soccer’s Isaac Raymond [Referee Department Manager] to lead that session.

“The coach will explain to referees what happens when a team is up or down by a goal, and how the game changes. Isaac is going to coach the referees about how to adjust when certain things happen on the field and still be in the right position to make the right calls.

“Going into the season, I also wish that match officials are given the opportunity to learn on the job. Players don’t just go to training and become superstars, they are given opportunities to perform on the field.

“We will make mistakes, but when we get clips, we take the opportunity to review them with the referees and make sure they don’t happen again.

“To support consistency and standards, my ambition is to have a focused group of match officials to handle the Premier and Championship Divisions, and have younger referees working hard in League2 and U20 matches to knock the other officials out of the top two tiers.”

There will also be a visible change to the match officials this year because, when the 2025 season kicks off, they will be wearing new uniforms as part of League1 Canada’s partnership with hummel.

“It’s always good to make changes and wear something new,” Camacho continued. “hummel are not very well known in Canada for their referee’s uniform at the moment, but I’ve seen some countries are already using them.

“The samples I received look good, and the fact that they have a men’s and women’s cut makes a difference for our female referees – they are very happy with this.

“The colours are going to be interesting as well. We’ll no longer be using yellows but using black, blue, and grey. Once League1 deploys uniforms, every other referee in Ontario – even if they aren’t part of League1 – wants to look like a League1 referee so they buy the kit.

“I’m looking forward to this change, and seeing our team out there with new uniforms.”