Launched in January, the Referee Education Programme seeks to evaluate and assess the level of national and international teqball refereeing standards and develop the abilities of FITEQ-qualified referees.

There are certified teqball referees in 65 countries, who are able call on FITEQ's online education platform which features up-to-date official rules and regulations as well as other guidance.

Herbály and Vad, who are Hungarian, both have experience officiating on the international stage in football.

Herbály started refereeing in 1994 and went on to become a FIFA beach soccer referee from 2007 until 2014.

Vad is still active as a referee and officiates in the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and the Hungarian First Division.

The pair have identified similarities between teqball and football and how officiating works in the two sports.

"As I already experienced the differences between futsal, football and beach soccer, I clearly see the similarities and as well the difference," said Herbály.

"A respected referee must have multiple abilities and must present his capabilities on the pitch and out of the pitch as well. 

"This is a long journey and hard work behind the scenes. 

"In teqball, what the audience see is the quality of decisions such as in all other sports. 

"The speciality of teqball refereeing is definitely the speed of the game and what is similar to other sports is the perfect knowledge of the rules and a lot of practice. 

"If someone has the motivation to invest energy and wants to grow and develop together with teqball she or he will have great experiences for sure."

The Referee Education Programme is being managed by the FITEQ competition department, with Norbert Augusztin, chief referee at the past two Teqball World Championships, taking the lead.

New elements such as a talent programme, a refereeing collaboration platform and new practical and theoretical training are planned to be added soon.