Lorenc Appointed New Referees Manager
Former FIFA World Cup referee Richard Lorenc has been appointed as the new National Refereeing Manager at Football Federation Australia.
"While we look to make improvements on the field with our teams we also need to ensure our referees are also improving their standards." "We'll be looking to work closely with the state bodies to develop programs and work in partnership with them. "We have made good strides in the past few years with two of our referees in the train-on squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. "Referees are a very important part of the game but the players come first and we must remain behind the scenes." Part of Lorenc's responsibilities will be to manage the referees in the new Hyundai A-League. FFA Head of Operations Matt Carroll said Lorenc would bring valuable experience to the role. "Richard has been involved with refereeing in some capacity for the past 30 years," said Carroll. "He has a background in refereeing, teaching and coaching so he brings some very diverse experience to the role. A role that will cover refereeing from the grass roots through to FIFA tournaments and most importantly ensuring quality refereeing for the Hyundai A-League." "With the growing popularity of the game we need to ensure that we have sufficient quality referees to cover demand and Richard will work closely with the states to ensure we continue to develop referees." Lorenc officiated in 50 international matches including the 1990 World Cup in Italy. He was named the Australian Referee of the Year in 1994 and over a 23-year span commencing in 1972 Lorenc blew the whistle in over 300 National League and 200 State League matches.