The multi-tasker with a heart of gold (21)

Alan Camilleri, Today’s spotlight is on 39-year-old a Macer stalwart, a lightweight, soft spoken, kind hearted long distance runner. Graduated B. Ed (Hons) Mathematics and post Graduate Diploma in Lifelong Career Guidance and Development. A Marathoner, FIFA Assistant Referee and Career Guidance Teacher. Three roles which demand personality, ability, time consuming, patience, willingness to improve and highly attentive at Ray A. Scicluna. all times! He is interviewed by

1. From the introduction, one may easily surmise that you are a multi tasker, a hard worker and a pro active person always striving to improve in both your sports career and at work. Surely you didn’t rest on your laurels!! From an obese secondary school student to a 60 kilo athlete for a 1.63metres. You started competing in the 5k, 10k and the half marathon but which as of lately you embarked on the Marathon. You are adding more time on training, mileages, doubts and fears after all the assurances you got from your remarkable PB’s in the aforementioned distances. What led you opt for the toughest and longest distance? A marathon stands by itself for many reasons but what does it really mean to you?

First of all, please allow me to thank you Ray and The Malta Independent for providing me with this space to share my experiences, and above all, to share our common passion for sport. I want to make it clear with the readers and the general public, that I’m writing here not to promote myself and my achievements, but my only intention is to use my story to attract and encourage more youngsters to come closer to the world of sport.

My running journey started way back in May 2010 clocking 43mins 55seconds in a 10km road-race organised by Mellieha Athletic Club. I was always fond of running due to the fact that I’m also a football referee. In fact, during the year 2004, I was introduced to the world of running by a friend of mine and former referee Chris Lautier. Without any proper training, I managed to run the Malta half-marathon in 1hour 37 minutes… however I didn’t have the guts to take on running seriously at that time!

Until reaching 17 years of age, I was never interested in practising any sport. During my secondary school years, I remember myself very clearly as an obese boy, weighing close to 100kgs, inactive, and ‘hating’ sports with a passion. I was that type of student always trying to find excuses to skip P.E. lessons, and always waited eagerly for the midday break to ‘sprint’ to the tuck shop for a burger or two!! Now that I’ve been involved in sports for more than 20 years, weighing 40kgs less and feeling healthier than ever, I still cannot believe the whole transformation that happened to me! It’s never too late to start exercising and adopting a healthy lifestyle, it only takes some courage to start… all the rest will follow.

Coming back to my switch to the full marathon distance, back then I never imagined I would train and run a marathon, and even along my first running years I used to say “never ever a marathon for me!” However, when I started experiencing the sport, race after race, year after year, I realised that running a full marathon is a must and a necessity. I was also feeling that running long was my forte both in training and in races. After long consultations with my coach Has Kesra, we decided together to go long! After 6 years of running, we thought there was enough experience, mileage and courage to step it up. I needed a new challenge in my life. To-date I ran two marathons and when I try to explain to people what it feels like, I often answer back “the full marathon is a different sport on its own!”

A marathon is a closed box, there’s no right formula to succeed. Being the major event of the year, I always try to peak at the right time. This entails loads of preparation and specific detail in various aspects. My training program revolves around the chosen marathon, and my coach makes sure that I am fully prepared for the big day. From my end, I need to pay special attention to nutrition and ideal weight, especially when the marathon is fast approaching. The weighing scale is by far my worst enemy! I always keep in my mind, a fantastic advice from my coach – “try running a marathon with a 2-litre water bottle and see how it feels!”

Finally, the most important aspect of them all is the mind. Definitely, a marathon brings a lot of doubts and fears. You have to be mentally prepared to survive all the aches and pains, and to get out of the tunnel when you really hit the wall. Many experts say that a marathoner normally hits the wall around the 35th kilometre, and yes it’s so true! The psychological aspect plays a huge role in all this. “Finishing a marathon is a state of mind that says anything is possible.”

2. As a marathoner who loads over 100 km per week in training, how do you manage to combine the role of Assistant Referee which again it demands running and to be more specific more agility than that of the marathon. I don’t doubt the agility cause you proved that on various counts with your impressive PB’s (5km in 16:41, 10km in 34:23, half marathon 1:15.29) but I may question the energy to perform as Assistant Referee post your marathon training. How many kilometres do you run during a football match and

is there a difference in kms between a local football match from those you referee abroad?

Undoubtedly, it is not easy to practice two sports concurrently at top level. I still cannot believe that I’ve been doing this now for almost a decade! Although, they are both based on running, football refereeing and marathon running are two different sport disciplines which require different forms of training regimes.

Typical training sessions for referees include dynamic and agility exercises, change of speed and direction focusing on side-ways and backward running, high intensity training, high speed running and sprinting. Several studies state that referees cover around 11.5km in match, whereas assistant referees cover 6.5km. On my Garmin watch, I usually notice that during international matches I cover a slighter longer distance than in local matches. On average, during a local match I cover approximately 5.5km. During international matches abroad, I can run distances close to 7km. This may happen due to higher-tempo matches, faster players, and styles of play which are different from the ones we are used to in Malta.

Referee fitness tests evolved as well along the years. Around 15 to 20 years ago, the test consisted of 2x 50m sprints, 2x 200m sprints, and the so-called Cooper test, which is a 12-minute run on the track covering at least 2700m.

Nowadays, the fitness test being incorporated is more match-related. Assistant referees start with the Change of Direction Ability (CODA) test. Assistant referees to have sprint 10m forward, 8m sideways left, 8m sideways right, and 10m sprint to the finish. This has to be done in less than 10 seconds. Then, 5x 30m sprints to be done in less than 4.7 seconds (with up to 90 seconds rest in between each repetition). Finally, the referees must run 40x 75m in 15 seconds (with 20secs walking recovery in between each run).

During major UEFA competitions and seminars, referees must run the Yo-Yo test (up to level 18.2) which is definitely more demanding. Furthermore, referees must undergo regular body fat composition tests during the season. Fitness is top priority at the moment in refereeing. Referees are athletes too.

3. After years of calls for video technology better known as VAR to be implemented into football in order to help referees, we saw its first major rollout in last Confederations Cup and is now being used in Bundesliga, Serie A, La Liga, and as from next season UEFA Champions League. You are still young and so are more apt to technology. What are your views in this regard since you have not yet experienced and experimented with this technology both locally and internationally? As an assistant referee, I think the role is to collaborate in full with the referee, do you recall instances when you spotted some irregularities to which you reported to the referee and the latter ignored and then you learn through visual aids post matches that you were right? What are your feelings during a football match?

Last year, following several trials held in major football competitions, VAR (Video Assistant Referee) was incorporated into the Laws of the Game by the International Football Association Board which are the official football’s lawmakers. The use of technology is definitely the way forward in football. Personally, I agree with the introduction of VAR in our beloved game. Many a times, we referees are faced with crucial and difficult decisions which have to be taken in a split of a second. Decisions which may decide a championship or a relegation! Much is at stake nowadays, and it’s only fair that if there’s a possibility to turn a wrong decision into a correct one, let’s go for it 100%.

At present, the Malta FA Refereeing Centre is studying the possibility of introducing VAR in some Premier Division matches. This will first involve personnel training as well as an offline exercise prior to actually implementing it in real terms.

Referees are always under the spotlight, so apart from being in tip-top physical condition, we have to be psychologically prepared to deal with all the pressures which a football match may throw at you. The role of an assistant referee, apart from being the ‘expert’ in the offside rule, he/she has the duty to assist the main referee in other match situations. During a match, I always try to fully focus and don’t let other thoughts cross my mind. My main objective is always to help the main referee and other members of the refereeing team without interfering too much.

Out there, we have to forget about our own performances and always act as one team. Coming back to one of your questions, there were times where I communicated certain decisions to the referee and I was of great help in taking the right decision, but unfortunately it happened vice-versa as well. In refereeing, you win as a team and you fail as a team.

There’s much to say and discuss about refereeing and this space is definitely not enough. Albeit the fact that football referees are not so ‘popular’ amongst the general public, I can truly say that it’s a fantastic opportunity for youngsters to take up this career.

Refereeing shaped up my character, it challenged my personality, it boosted my confidence, it made me fitter, I am the person I am today thanks to this. I am so grateful to the refereeing world.

Part II of this interview will be published in The Malta Independent’s edition of

Friday 15th February 2019