Eircom League Referees go hi-tech

Irish referees will now be able to stay in constant communication throughout matches after the Football Association of Ireland purchased six Referee Communication Sets.

The headsets will enable all four match officials to keep in contact during matches and will be used at eircom League of Ireland fixtures beginning with this weekend’s games. Three of the purchased devices have been received, with a further three to follow within one month.

The Referee Communication Sets – each one containing headsets for the Referee, both Assistant Referees and the Fourth Official - will be used at three eircom League of Ireland fixtures tonight and two on Saturday night. The sets will be used during the following games this weekend:
Bohemians v Finn Harps
Bray Wanderers v St. Patrick’s Athletic
Derry City v Drogheda United
Cobh Ramblers v Cork City
Galway United v Shamrock Rovers

Pat Kelly, Manager of the FAI Referees Department, said that the sets will prove extremely valuable to referees: “These sets allow the four officials to keep in constant communication throughout matches. If, for example, an incident was to occur behind a referee’s back, the other officials can instantly communicate what happened. There are many other instances where these sets will be useful, be it flagging substitutions or communicating individual decisions.”