Guy Bradbury has been a cornerstone of the refereeing community, contributing significantly at provincial, national, and international levels. It is undeniable that his influence on the province’s volleyball scene has been profound.
Through his unwavering dedication on the court, his role as a mentor and coach, and his administrative contributions, he has established himself as one of the finest officials this country has ever seen.
As a youth volleyball player in Newfoundland, he excelled at Bishop Field College and Bishops College, winning multiple championships between 1968 and 1970. Although sidelined by a thumb injury while on the Newfoundland Canada Games Team in 1970-71, he transitioned to officiating. Guy earned his Provincial badge in 1971 and quickly rose through the ranks, achieving a regional badge in 1974, a national badge in 1980, and International Referee status in 1983.
As a referee, Guy has done almost everything possible. He has been R1 at every youth level of school and club volleyball. Since his first assignment in Moncton in 1978, he has officiated too many CIAU (now U Sports) Championships to count including either R1 or R2 on over a dozen gold Medal matches. He also refereed at the 1979 Canada Games in Brandon, Manitoba and the 2001 Canada Games in London, Ontario.
On the International Level, Guy has had a stellar career. He has worked three World Student Games. Edmonton in 1983, Kobe, Japan in 1985, and Sicily, Italy in 1998. Guy refereed on the Team Canada Women’s Tour to Holland and Germany in 1984 and in Peru in 1987. In 2000, he was nominated as a referee in the World League of Volleyball, a 6-week inter-continental League featuring 16 teams. His international refereeing has taken him across the world with stops in the US, Argentina, Tunisia, Mexico, Brazil and many others.
Since his permanent move to our province in 1995 to become General Manager of the Ontario Sports Centre (former home of the OVA), Guy’s visionary leadership has transformed referee education in Ontario, aligning it with the long-term athlete development model and fostering a culture of inclusiveness. Through his application of the Ontario Trillium Foundation grant in 2015, he spearheaded the creation of online educational platforms like the Referee Engagement Centre and The Rules R testing platforms, leveraging experiential learning to enhance referees’ personal development and elevate the quality of officiating for all participants.
In addition, Guy played a pivotal role in launching the “Be A Referee” campaign for the OVA, crafting targeted strategies for millennials and producing video and digital content that continues to be utilized today. His dedication to promoting gender equity is evident through his efforts, conducting studies and organizing a Gender Equity summit to address and rectify gaps for female referees, ensuring equal access to opportunities in sport leadership.
Guy facilitated the expansion of Ontario Volleyball’s Mentorship program, empowering referees across the province. He collaborated with OVA staff to modernize the referee development and certification system, transitioning the level 1 and 2 course theory portions to an online delivery model, and extending access to referee courses even to the most remote areas of Ontario. Even during the challenging times of COVID-19 lockdowns, Guy remained a driving force for referee engagement, initiating the “Let’s Talk Series” to keep Ontario referees connected and supported throughout the pandemic.
Guy has always been forward thinking in ways to development referees. He was one of the first to use video to illustrate areas in the game that would help the referees be better at their craft. He has brought this medium to his supervisory and coaching duties at U Sports Championships and at the International FIVB level.
He has previously held national level roles on the Volleyball Canada Board of Directors from 1979 to 1981 and again from 1984 to 1985. He would move into more specialized roles as the National Officials Chair in 2011and the High Performance and International Development Chair from 2014 to 2023. Currently, he holds various certifications as a clinician, evaluator, supervisor, mentor, and referee coach at Volleyball Canada, NORCECA, and FIVB.
Currently, Guy is a leading member of the International Referee community as a member of the FIVB Refereeing and Rules of the Game Commission since 2012, President of the Referee Commission for NORCECA since 2020 and NORCECA Continental Course Instructor. Just to add to his extensive list of accomplishments, Guy has been nominated as Referee Coach for the 2024 Olympics in Paris, France.
With over 50 years in refereeing, Guy’s legacy is one of selflessness and mentorship. His tireless efforts to pass on his knowledge have modernized referee training pathways and earned him numerous accolades, including the OVA Recognition Award, Achievement Awards, Diane Wood Special Achievement Award, and the Dennis Pomeroy Volleyball Canada Leadership Award.
It is with great honor that we welcome Guy Bradbury into the OVA Hall of Fame in the Referee Category, recognizing his exceptional contributions as part of the Class of 2024.
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