JFA sent referees to the Australian Hyundai A-League in February and March as part of exchange programme.
This is the first time for Japanese referees to take charge of the A-League.

【Referees／Matches in charge】
Takuto Okabe　February 16th：Brisbane Roar vs. Newcastle Jets
Hiroyuki Kimura　March 23th：Melbourne Heart vs. Central Coast Mariners

Referees’ Comments

Takuto Okabe（Ibaraki prefecture）
I’m honoured to have had an opportunity to blow a whistle in the A-League. In the match, physical contact was intense in the first 10 minutes and I called a few fouls, but the team told me repeatedly “OK! Referee.” Because my judge wasn’t wrong.
Besides, it seemed the players accepted my messages honestly and I gradually became trusted sharing each judge between the players and me. It was a beneficial experience for me to have been able to feel more clearly than in Japan that the players got high concentration for their play.

Hiroyuki Kimura（Hokkaido）
I took charge of Melbourne Heart FC vs Central Coast Mariners FC in the A-League on March 23rd.
The competition site where I was in charge was Melbourne. There, the stadium is used both for football and rugby and it’s sited in a park with multi-fitness facilities.
On the match day, not only football spectators but also many other people were enjoying various sports at each facility of the park.
Regarding the match, even though there was lots of physical contact and match voltage was high, there were few intentional actions to hurt the opponents and I got impression that the players were very fair.
I felt an atmosphere that the players respected my judge and the match management went smooth without insistent complaint and negative appeal.
After the match, the expressions of admiration of players and staffs towards each team’s effort were very refreshing and I felt the greatness of sports again.
I want to keep working as a referee, making the most of an experience like this precious one.