Referee Abroad’s Refereeing Beyond Borders, backed by Erasmus+, aims to unite all referees, and is now in full swing across 2025-2026.

Our Mission
To empower referees through international tournaments—fostering personal growth, expanding networks, and enhancing skills via mentorship, hybrid training, and exposure to global standards. We aim to strengthen European referee collaboration and enrich cultural exchange.

Our Partners
Key collaborators include refereeing associations from Slovenia, Portugal, Romania, Poland, Austria, Denmark, and the Paris World Games.

Kickoff
The project launched at Florence’s iconic Coverciano, where leaders from all partner associations outlined objectives and set the stage for success.

Summer Tournaments
Over 60 referees from these associations participated in the flagship tournaments of IberCup Cascais & Estoril (Portugal), Paris World Games (France), and Gothia Cup (Sweden).

The feedback? Not only had these young referees improved on the field, but their integration with the wider group, coming from over 25 different countries, was notable, fostering a genuinely global community that Referee Abroad proudly champions.

Beyond The Summer

The project continues to gain extraordinary traction as it heads into its final phase.

Referee Abroad is also working on an exclusive documentary including input from our President, referees and project participants, which will be released soon. The documentary endeavours to display how the project has gone and helped young referees develop by giving them the chance to travel, meet new people, and gain international experience through football refereeing.

But it’s not just about football. The project helps participants build confidence, improve communication skills, and get to know new cultures. It’s a great way for referees to grow, both on and off the field.

You can catch a preview of the documentary right here!