NMIFA ref gets feel of EAFF game

Northern Mariana Islands Football Association referee Adam Whitty got a share from the CNMI’s historic stint in the 2011 East Asian Football Federation U15 Youth Tournament as he officiated a couple of games in last month’s event.

“He was sent as a referee representative from NMIFA and went through a rigorous physical test and passed. As a result, he was able to officiate as an assistant referee in three games and was also the fourth official in many of the games. It was a first for NMIFA to have one of our officials participate as a referee in an EAFF-sanctioned international match. So, not only did our boys make history, but also Adam and it was a success for our referee program,” NMIFA general secretary Ed Salas said in an email to Saipan Tribune.

For his part, Whitt said officiating EAFF games was a very fun, but challenging experience.

“Last August, I took a basic referee training course, my first one, and began refereeing in October. When Ed Salas contacted me in June about this opportunity to referee at the youth tournament, I felt extremely honored but also hesitant. I had been refereeing for less than 10 months at that point and I knew I would be facing a whole new level of competition,” the Eucon International School teacher said.

Whitty arrived in Taipei, Taiwan with the CNMI U18 National Team on July 18 and the following day, he quickly underwent a test.

“On Tuesday morning we took our physical exam at the Taipei Municipal Stadium. It consisted of several sprints and runs around the track. In preparation for the exam, both Ed Salas and Cathy Perry had trained me under the same conditions of the exam about a week earlier. It was very challenging then and would not be any easier in Taipei’s hot, muggy summer weather. Needless to say, I was a little nervous that morning. We all passed, however, and went on to have a great time in the tournament,” the 23-year-old Ohio native said.

“The experience in Taiwan was amazing but also slightly overwhelming. Many of the referees I worked with had over five years of experience, some as much as eight or nine, and three of the referees were qualified to manage FIFA-level games,” he added.

Whitty was thankful for the great opportunity, which came early, as he had been involved in football in the CNMI for only about a year.

“Before coming to Saipan last August, I never played soccer competitively. On Saipan I play for Tan Holdings, but this is primarily to learn the rules of the game,” he said.

“We are very proud of Adam for his achievements in Taiwan. This was a great opportunity for him and the experienced he gained will help him considerably as he continues to officiate in our local leagues. We hope he applies and shares his knowledge and experience to other referees. Adam has paved the way for other aspiring young referees who want to officiate in international games,” Salas said.