The RLEF continues to work closely with the Greek rugby league community, recently running yet another Level 1 match official course in Athens, led by educator George Stilianos.
Five locals attended, including Grigoris Koutsimpogiorgos who has been earmarked as a referee of great potential. The 24-year-old, who took up the whistle two years ago before undertaking his mandatory national service in the army, has re-joined Greece’s refereeing ranks and took charge of the recent clash between Rhodes and Attica Rhinos.
“It was a great experience, and a chance to learn from the more experienced referees to increase my knowledge,” said Koutsimpogiorgos. “I can now use these skills in domestic matches and look forward to attending further courses as I continue refereeing.”
Two leading Spanish match officials, Tony Palacios and Andrew Pilkington also attended the five-day activity, which is part of the RLEF’s EU-funded Training and Education Portal project, and they were joined by Italy’s Guido Bonatti, a member of the RLEF development squad, and lead RLEF tutor Phil Smith.
“The Greek candidates were impressive,” said Smith. It was good to see two of them officiate alongside George in a genuine, competitive fixture played in the heart of Athens. Their passion for the development of the sport in their country was clearly evident.”