Danny Selway urges more players to try refereeing after awards success
The Scottish Squash Referee of the Year 2021-22 has urged players to consider signing up for a refereeing course to help improve the standard of officiating across the country.
Danny Selway feels that it would improve the squash experience of individual players, by developing their understanding of the rules, while making them more tolerant towards referees.
Danny said: “I think it’s very important to encourage players of all levels to take up refereeing to assist with tournaments, provide clarity in their own games.
“They don’t have to be refereeing on a regional level, or a national level – even at a club level, it all helps.
“The more training that we can have for club level players, and the more referees we have in the system, the better for squash in Scotland.”
The 47-year-old was grateful to be recognised with the Referee of the Year Award, but stressed that all referees deserve recognition.
He said: “Everyone that does it should be given a pat on the back because they’re volunteering their time and putting themselves up to be knocked down.
“It’s a difficult job because you’re not only facing the players opinion on court, but all of the supporters have their own idea of what the decision should have been.”
The Aberdonian official has been refereeing for as long as he has been playing squash, and completed his first refereeing qualification five years ago.
While it can be challenging at times, Danny takes great pride in his refereeing, and in maintaining high standards.
He said: “I enjoy being part of a team, offering my assistance and knowing that I’m doing things in a proper way and making the correct decision – at least most of the time.
“The refereeing course has given me the confidence to stand up and stand by my decisions.
“I would like to thank our local network of referees including George Tierney, Paul Charlton, Maureen Maitland and Tommy Van Huuksloot for their support and guidance.”
Danny was nominated as an “unsung hero” by his peers in Grampian, with one nomination including praise for recent improvements in his refereeing.
Danny joked: “Perhaps they just haven’t seen me referee for a while.”
Then added: “The more we do things, the more we improve – practice makes perfect.”
As he has become more experienced as a referee, he has increasingly been involved in higher level competitions.
Most recently, Danny was an official at the Senior Gold Event held at Aberdeen Squash and Racketball Club in September and he has ambitions to develop further.
He said: “This season I’m keen to help out at a local level, and I’ve got the Masters tournament coming up, and the club open.
“I intend to offer my services for both events, then beyond that I hope to help out refereeing at tournaments across Scotland.”
Scottish Squash has recently signed a memorandum of understanding with World Squash Officiating which will see us use this framework to underpin the development of a refereeing workforce across Scotland.
Our initial priority will be transferring current registered referees across to the new framework before using this framework to develop and increase referee numbers.
Keep an eye on our social media channels for updates on refereeing courses in the coming months.
