From June 12 to 16, 2026, in Kyiv, at the Football House and NTB named after V. Bannikov, the Referees Committee of the Ukrainian Football Association (UFA) and the Academy of Football Referees of Ukraine will hold a seminar for young referees and assistant referees — third-year students of the National School of Football Referees (NSFR).

The main idea of the seminar is learning through practice. Each match where young referees will work becomes a teaching material: after the game, referees together with instructors thoroughly analyze positioning, disciplinary control, team interaction, key decisions, one-on-one situations, offside scenarios, and assistant referee work. This format allows each participant not only to gain real playing experience but also to immediately analyze their own decisions and draw conclusions.

The seminar is aimed at ensuring the comprehensive development of young generations of Ukrainian referees:

• improving the level of preparation of young referees and assistant referees in their third year at NSFR;
• perfecting practical skills in managing the game;
• forming a unified approach to interpreting the Laws of the Game;
• developing teamwork skills for referee crews;
• conducting practical arbitration of Elite and First League matches in Ukraine with further detailed video analysis of game episodes;
• developing skills of self-analysis and post-match review of decisions.
   

Main Areas of Work

The seminar program is built around several interrelated areas:

• theoretical preparation according to FIFA, UEFA, and UFA recommendations;
• practical arbitration of matches in the final stages of youth competitions in the Elite and First League of Ukraine;
• in-depth analysis of key game episodes;
• analysis of positioning and team interaction within a referee crew;
• physical preparation and specialized movement work for referees;
• individual interviews and evaluation of referees' work.

During the seminar, special attention will be given to current topics in modern refereeing: interpreting handball according to FIFA, UEFA, and UFA requirements, recognizing fouls in one-on-one situations, incidents in penalty areas, psychological aspects of a referee's work, as well as changes to the Laws of the Game for the 2026/27 season.

The seminar is an important stage in preparing the reserve of Ukrainian referees: it is through such events that young referees gain the experience needed for further work in professional competitions.