My name is Marc Andre Filion I am VP technical of the Alberta Lacrosse Referee Association, the Referee- in-Chief of the Fort McMurray region and the Jr. B tier II north league.
First, I would like to acknowledge and applaud all the parents, coaches, managers and volunteers in your lacrosse community for their immense efforts in establishing lacrosse in Fort McMurray. You have come a long way and has been no easy feat. Many of the challenges that you face are not part of the reality in most regions of Alberta. One example is that most areas do not have coaches forced to officiate minor lacrosse games due to the lack of qualified referees. We need to change this. Fort McMurray needs to have a sustainable pool of officials for all levels of the game. For this to happen, we need you! We need everyone involved to step up and accept the challenge of becoming a lacrosse official! Being a referee is not an easy job, it requires dedication but most importantly, it requires confidence! Without support from the ALRA, it would be impossible. I plan to have a referee clinic sometime before the season starts to give you a solid base on which you can develop. I hope to be your resource person and I promise to do everything within my capacity to support this project.
It may not be immediately apparent, but referees are a crucial part of the growth of lacrosse in your community. They play a crucial role in player safety and sportsmanship by ensuring objectivity in the game. I believe that we will retain more players in the game if parents feel that the sport of lacrosse is safe, fair and accountable. That is where we come in!
If the idea of ensuring players’ safety, game fairness and contributing to the growth of the sport is not enough, here is another perk: you get paid for it! Usually you have to pay a gym membership fee to workout right? Well think about it, as an official you get paid to run, blow your whistle once in a while and get in shape in the process. How better can it be? Of course, you can’t quit your day job, but it’s a way of acknowledging the time you took in learning the rules of the game!
If you would like more information, please don’t hesitate to contact me
Marc Andre Filion
VP Technical ALRA
RIC FMMLA
RIC Jr.B Tier II North
Ass RIC GELC
Filion@ualberta.ca
780 -240-0849
