Football club moves forward with VAR installation after permission granted

Alec Doyle, Local Democracy Reporter

A north Wales football club will get a video assistant referee (VAR) system installed, after plans for upgrade were officially approved.

VAR is coming to Flint Town United after planners approved an application for works at the Cae-y-Castell.

The Cymru Premier has introduced the requirement for all clubs to have VAR facilities on-site from this season.

The Silkmen – who face Bala Town later today in the JD Cymru Premier – have had an application to install a video operations room next to the main stand with cameras along the south eastern side of the pitch to capture key moments.

On matchdays the kiosk will be occupied by an FAW-qualified assistant referee  – the Virtual Assistant Referee – who will watch video footage of the game on five monitors, using different angles and replays to help the on-field officials come to the correct decision in a game.

VAR has become widely adopted globally, now in use across more than 70 countries. While it is designed to improve fairness by providing referees with video evidence, its use has sometimes sparked debate among fans regarding its impact on the flow of the game.

Now used in more than 70 countries, VAR is designed to minimise the risk of human error during football matches, although its effectiveness remains the focus of some debate among football fans.

The system that will be implemented at Flint Town  – and all JD Cymru Premier grounds – is known as VAR Light.

Where full VAR employs a replay operator at a central site with many cameras, VAR Light operates on-site with a maximum of eight cameras.

It follows the same FIFA-approved process as full VAR and match officials are given appropriate training to ensure they are competent and FIFA VAR accredited.

VAR decisions will be broadcast, as in other leagues, to a monitor in the Referee Review Area pitchside.