Matt Robson, an English Language Assistant who spent a year in Varese, Italy, tells us how football refereeing helped him establish friends and connections during his placement.
What made you want to take part in the British Council’s English Language Assistants (ELA) programme?
As a French and Italian student at the University of Manchester, I knew that I would be doing a year abroad and as time progressed, I decided I wanted to take part in the programme. I joined the British Council briefings and found the idea of teaching in an Italian school and helping students gain a greater understanding of English language and culture really appealing.
Where was your placement?
Setting the scene and describing my placement city is important as not many people know where Varese is or what it is like. Neither did I when I received an email saying I would be spending eight months of my life there!
Located on the northernmost border of Italy and just a twenty-minute drive from Switzerland, Varese is a small city (or a large town!) with a population of around 85,000 people. It has a great sporting culture with their ice hockey and basketball teams winning national and continental titles regularly. Furthermore, it is home to UNESCO World Heritage site ‘Sacro Monte’, a stunning mountain with a small village at its summit and with picturesque chapels occupying every twist and turn on the walkable pathway from the bottom to the top. Labelled ‘The Garden City’, it really is a beautiful place to live.
How did you become to be refereeing in Italy?
As someone studying in Manchester, I knew I would miss the big city vibe that I had become accustomed to. There wouldn’t be a bar on every corner or something to do every night. Aware of this reality, as soon as I knew I had been placed in Varese, I started to make the effort to ensure I would be keeping myself busy outside of my 12 weekly working hours.
One of my first priorities was to continue my passion of football refereeing whilst in Varese, so I emailed the appropriate football associations in Italy. I started my refereeing journey aged 14 in my hometown of Leicester and instantly fell in love with it. The physical element of it is great but I also enjoy the mental aspect – the feeling of doing well and facilitating a game of football for players who look forward to it every week. Refereeing makes you more confident, decisive and gives you skills that are transferrable to everyday life.
What were your initial few weeks in Italy like?
When I first moved to Varese, I struggled to settle in as my placement hadn’t started so I didn’t really have a routine. Stressed and lonely, it was Roberto, the president of the Varese Referees Section, who helped me in ways I will forever be thankful for. As well as helping me get my ‘codice fiscale’ and my ‘Permesso di Soggiorno’ – two key documents needed to live and work in Italy – Roberto also took me for espressos and introduced me to the dozens of other referees in the region who I would never have met otherwise. He invited me to the weekly meetings and training sessions at the refereeing headquarters too.
Starting work at my placement school definitely helped me settle into a routine. The teachers and students were amazing and lesson preparation kept me busy during the working day. By the new year, I felt I was really beginning to develop as a teacher and improve my Italian skills.
What were some of your most memorable experiences during the placement?
It was the friends I made through refereeing that really made Varese feel like home. After a few months, Roberto gave me the iconic yellow referees’ kit and before I knew it, I wasn’t just training on Tuesdays and Thursdays – I was also refereeing matches! From there, my relationships with other referees became a lot more social and I was seeing friends four or five times a week for dinners and nights out. I also began to meet their partners and wider family which was a really nice experience. The second half of my time in Italy did not feel like I was abroad or away from home, and I felt settled and content with the people around me.
Perhaps the greatest sign of how close I grew to my friends in Varese was my farewell in May. They took me for a goodbye dinner at the restaurant I had been to alone on my first night back in September and gave me a parting gift at the final referees meeting of the year.
How did you develop personally and professionally during the placement?
Quite symbolically it was Roberto who took me to Milan Malpensa airport for my one-way flight back home. On the drive there, we spoke about how far I had come as a referee, an Italian speaker and a person, how I had become part of the group and how I had thrown myself into Italian culture. I had to fight back the tears when we hugged goodbye at the departure gate.
The ELA programme was an amazing experience from a professional perspective too. Not only does it improve your language skills significantly, but it also really boosts your confidence. The students are eager to learn from you and the teachers are really helpful.
Do you have any advice for prospective English Language Assistants?
Don’t be disappointed if you don’t get placed in cities like Milan, Bologna or Naples. It’s not as hard as you think to make friends in smaller cities and towns. As my story shows, there are amazing, caring and welcoming people waiting for you – all you need to do is seek them out!
