Sar Smith tasted his first international assignment as a referee when he officiated at the Caribbean Football Union Under-14 Challenge Series last week.

Smith was one of the officials for Tier 2 matches in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, where he was the man in the middle for two fixtures and performed the role of fourth official in another.

The Bermudian took charge of the encounter between Dominica and Turks & Caicos Islands, together with the seven-goal thriller between Anguilla and Montserrat.

“It was a great experience since as it was my first time doing an international match,” Smith told The Royal Gazette.

“The instructors were good at telling me what I did well and what needed improving.”

It was an eye-opening event for the Bermuda College student, as he got to encounter teams whose dominant language is not English.

“The lessons I learnt were that when you go away to do games it’s a lot different because of the different types of weather you might face,” the 18-year-old said.

“It was also a lot of Spanish and French-speaking countries, so before I go away again I’m thinking about learning a bit of Spanish and French.”

Crenstant Williams, chairman of the Bermuda Football Association Referee Committee, expressed the association’s pride in the young referee.

“The Bermuda Football Association Referees Committee is immensely proud of Sar Smith,” Williams said.

“We hope his achievement will inspire other young Bermudians to consider officiating. Refereeing provides an opportunity to develop leadership, confidence and decision-making skills.

“Sar’s progress reflects the importance of investing in and creating opportunities for the next generation of Bermudian match officials.

“The Bermuda Football Association Referees Committee remains committed to developing young referees along with providing pathways and support needed for them to reach their full potential.”

At the beginning of last year, Smith attended a three-day Caribbean Football Union Next Generation Referee Course in Barbados. He further sharpened his skills when he was given the same opportunity again at the start of 2026 in St Kitts.