UEFA launched a new campaign called Be a Referee! Its goal is to increase awareness of refereeing, highlight the importance of referees, and inspire young people to start a career as a referee.

The initiative has become part of a program aimed at helping national associations in their efforts to recruit approximately 40,000 new referees per season. The UAF is actively collaborating with UEFA in this direction, given the growing number of children's and youth competitions as well as amateur tournaments, young referees are extremely needed in Ukraine.

Chairman of the Referees Committee of the UAF Luciano Lucci, summing up the year, noted that Ukraine is rich in young talents and emphasized that success comes only through titanic efforts and a desire to develop. Coordinator of young referees Serhiy Lisenchuk reported at the committee's final meeting that despite the difficult situation in the country, several working seminars with the most promising referees were held at the House of Football UAF.

Also, searches for and selection of young talents are being conducted in regions. All this activity of the Referees Committee of the UAF is carried out according to UEFA's program on recruiting and training new referees. Also, webinars were held with our foreign partners for youth, emphasizing the importance of referees in creating a safe environment for participants, development, and strengthening relationships within the football community.

An important role of referees regarding safety instructions during match conduct was also determined.

The Referees Committee of the UAF is also collaborating in a state project for teenagers, helping with career selection. This is a social direction within the joint UEFA-UAF program. Luciano Lucci noted that thanks to the Armed Forces and support from the UAF, we have the opportunity to continuously work on these social programs involving young referees. According to the head of the National School of Football Referees of the UAF Serhiy Lisenchuk, the most promising among them will already be trained next year at the House of Football with involvement in all-Ukrainian tournament matches.