TECHNICAL OFFICIALS

The Facts

The success of any competition sporting event is due to the standard of officiating. Officiating represents the backbone of organised sport and it is our sporting reputation in which Australia is justifiably proud of its achievements.

SLSA Surf Sports Technical Officials are reputed for their voluntary commitment to one of the most challenging areas of surf lifesaving.

Surf Life Saving Australia is focused on continuing to raise the standard of officiating at surf sports events. Officiating standards directly affect the quality of competition and the safety of athletes and Technical officials alike.

Surf sports Technical Officials represent one of the largest representative groups of formal volunteering roles available in the organisation.

Cudgen Headland SLSC Surf Sports and JAC invite any prospective members to  follow the process in completion of the Technical Officials Course.

AS you may be aware at ALL NSW and SLSA Championship events there is a quota of Athletes / Competitors to Officials required by the Club to compete. Cudgen Headland is always looking the forward the pathways of both Officials, Athletes and Members.

Contact: Maree Beatty email nippers.admin@cudgenslsc.org.au

Official Accreditation Levels

In recent years, SLSA Surf Sport Officials training has moved under the umbrella of the National Officiating Accreditation Scheme (NOAS), which covers over 80 different sports throughout Australia and is managed by the Australian Sports Commission (ASC).

There are two levels for officials to obtain under the NOAS pathway;

LSA Core Official

• Core Officials work with entry level participants in a club surf sport environment (recreationally or competitively). Participants will generally be non-bronze proficient.
• A Core Official can officiate at Branch & State Carnivals in the positions of Judge, Timekeeper, Marshall, Recorder

SLSA Technical Official – HSLS recommends completing this award.

• Technical Officials choose to fulfil specific officiating role(s) and who work with participants (non-bronze proficient, Surf Rescue Certificate qualified or bronze proficient) who are actively competing in a club / branch / state surf sport competition environment.
• Technical Official roles may include: Marshall, Starter, Check Starter, Recorder, Timekeeper, Finish Judge

How to become an Official?

Online courses are available for anyone wishing to become accredited an official. These courses can be taken at any stage during the year and are accessible via the SLSA members Portal.

For more information on becoming an official and details of the available courses including how to enrol, visit the SLSNSW Technical Officials resource page via the following link

There are costs associated with these online courses, and you are required to pay for these courses upfront. So, discuss with your club whether they will reimburse you for the cost of the course. 

HSLS then requires all new officials, to attend a face to face workshop and complete three carnivals as a Trainee official before you are signed off and your paperwork sent to SLSNSW to accredit.

I only want to be an Official in the area my child competes, is that possible?

Unfortunately, not always. As a trainee we encourage you to officiate in a variety of areas so that you gain a broad area of experience.  Once you are an accredited Official, we try and accommodate all requests, but positions will depend on how many officials we have on the day and where they are needed.  The more officials we have on the beach the easier it will be to accommodate.