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Australian Match Officials named on FIFA Panel of International Referees for 2021

Football Australia has announced that 26 Australian Match Officials have been selected on the FIFA Panel of International Referees for 2021. 

Football Australia has announced that 26 Australian Match Officials have been selected on the FIFA Panel of International Referees for 2021. 

Football Australia Chairman and Chair of Football Australia’s Referees Committee, Mr Chris Nikou, congratulated each Match Official for securing their positions and continuing their strong contributions to refereeing. 

“It is welcome news and a sign of the esteem in which Australian Match Officials are held globally that Australia has secured a strong cohort of Match Officials on the international panel, and congratulations must go to each individual for displaying the dedication and professionalism required to once again be recognised by FIFA at the highest level,” Nikou said. 

“Due to the global impacts of COVID-19, 2020 was a lean year for international football – however it is expected that international fixtures and tournaments will increase throughout 2021. 

“As that occurs, FIFA will have 26 expert Australian Match Officials ready and eager for appointments, each with the ability to implement the Laws of the Game to a world class standard.” 

Football Australia Chief Executive Officer, James Johnson, outlined how developing world class Australian Match Officials is key for the future of the sport.

“Match Officials are an important contributor to our game, particularly the on-field product, and are critical to football at all levels,” he said.

“Developing our Match Officials to a world class standard is a central focus of Principle Six of the XI Principles for the future of Australian football.

“In line with the measures proposed in Principle Six, Football Australia will continue to lead work to develop the pathways and opportunities available to Australian Match Officials, which will help service the grassroots and community game, our National Premier Leagues, as well as the Professional Leagues. Football Australia will also continue to appoint Australia’s top referees to the Professional Leagues.”

Five of Australia’s match officials – Kate Jacewicz, Casey Reibelt, Sarah Ho, Chris Beath, and Shaun Evans – have also been acknowledged by FIFA in the newly created role of Video Match Official (VMO). VMO’s are able to perform either Video Assistant Referee (VAR) or Assistant Video Assistant Referee (AVAR) roles at FIFA matches and tournaments where VAR is being implemented.  

Australian Match Officials on the FIFA Panel of International Referees 2021 as confirmed by Football Australia:

 

Name

Role

FIFA International Since

Kurt AMS

Referee

2019

Jonathan BARREIRO

Referee

2019

Chris BEATH

Referee

2011

Rebecca DURCAU

Referee

2017

Shaun EVANS

Referee

2017

Kate JACEWICZ

Referee

2011

Alexander KING

Referee

2020

Lara LEE

Referee

2019

Casey REIBELT

Referee

2014

Ashley BEECHAM

Assistant Referee

2013

Joanna CHARAKTIS

Assistant Referee

2019

Renae COGHILL

Assistant Referee

2015

Matthew CREAM

Assistant Referee

2000

Ryan GALLAGHER

Assistant Referee

2016

Owen GOLDRICK

Assistant Referee

2018

Lance GREENSHIELDS

Assistant Referee

2019

Sarah HO

Assistant Referee

2004

George LAKRINDIS

Assistant Referee

2016

Andrew LINDSAY

Assistant Referee

2019

Nathan MACDONALD

Assistant Referee

2012

Laura MOYA

Assistant Referee

2017

Anton SHCHETININ

Assistant Referee

2016

Andrew BEST

Futsal Referee

2017

Jonathon MOORE

Futsal Referee

2018

Ryan SHEPHEARD

Futsal Referee

2009

Darius TURNER

Futsal Referee

2013

*Match officials listed in bold also assigned to FIFA’s newly created Video Match Official (VMO) Panel.

Liam Watson is a Senior Journalist with Soccerscene. He reports widely on international football policy, industry matters and industry 4.0

Football NSW grants webinar to aid clubs and associations

FNSW

Football NSW in conjunction with ‘The Grants Guy’ are set to premiere a free Grants Zoom online webinar next Wednesday (September 22) at 6:30pm – 7:30pm.

FNSW clubs and associations will be provided with valuable information through the grants webinar, especially for applying for funding which have assisted many teams in the past in their pursuit of seeking facility upgrades amongst various other beneficial elements.

The webinar will provide a practical guide to grant writing for any football club seeking to attain funding by applying for the Greater Cities Sport Facility Fund and the Regional Sport Facility Fund in particular.

Both grants will be explained through the practical step by step webinar, and guidance will be provided as to how to apply for the Grants.

The following topics will be discussed:

  • How to apply for the grant – the do’s and don’ts
  • Eligibility & Answering the Question
  • Project Assessment, Evaluation, Rationale, Methodology
  • Budget & Acquittal
  • Getting Grant Ready and Planning your Club’s Application

For the Greater Cities and Regional Sport Facility Fund, the second and final round of the $100 million grant is available, with grants of up to $1 million offered to sport and recreation organisations and councils.

In Round 2, up to $46 million is available for projects that improve sports facilities and recreational spaces and enable more people to participate in sport and active recreation.

Grants from $100,000 up to $1 million are available for a range of projects including lighting, amenity buildings, clubrooms, change rooms and grandstands.

Round 1 resulted in $54 million awarded for 91 projects, with over $10 million awarded to football projects.

Round 2 is the final round of the program with applications closing at 12pm, on October 8, 2021.

Register for the webinar today by clicking here.

For any further questions please contact Football NSW’s Government Relation, Infrastructure and Funding Manager Daniel Ristic via email on danielr@footballfacilities.com.au.

Player sentiment up, average age down: PFA releases annual report

Sentiment is well and truly up for A-League players, according to the annual Professional Footballers Australia (PFA) report.

This time last year, only 33% of A-League players felt confident about the direction of their football careers.

According to the PFA’s latest annual report, that number is now 56%.

Of the A-League’s 312 players, 200 responded to the 2020/21 A-League survey, capturing 70% of the current cohort, with the results proving that even despite the ongoing turbulence and uncertainty of COVID-19, the majority of players feel much more confident about their futures within the game.

The report highlights that Australian players actively want to remain in the A-League, as opposed to seeking opportunities overseas.

The key numbers that demonstrate this include:

  • 55% of players said they would like to stay playing in the A-League next season, up from 45% last year.
  • 56% of players are confident about the direction of their football careers, compared to 33% in 2019/20.
  • Only 4% of players would move to an overseas league even if it was for similar money and/or playing standard.
  • Only 16% of players who would prefer to move to an overseas league would only do so if the money and standards were better.

Other highlights of the report include that the average A-League player is getting younger.

Over the last 14 years, the average age of the A-League player has consistently trended upwards.

In 2020/21, however, this changed and the average age trended downwards, dropping from 27.6 to 25.1.

The number of players utilised in the A-League who were aged 21 and under came in at 107, representing 35% of the 300 players who received A-League minutes during the 2020/21 season.

The youngest squads on average belonged to Central Coast Mariners and Adelaide United, with average ages of 23.6 and 23.9 years respectively.

Another highlight was the fact that of the league’s 312 contracted players, 300 received A-League minutes.

“These reports have been immensely valuable, helping the PFA and the players better understand the industry in which they are employed, monitor the application of high-performance standards, assess technical progress and survey the players’ experience,” PFA Co-Chief Executive Beau Busch said of the report.

“For the last five years, we have been able to utilise these reports to formulate evidence-based positions to improve the environments in which our members work through collective bargaining.

“Promisingly, after a period of significant uncertainty, the players have indicated that they are more confident in the direction of their careers and the future of the competition than this time last year, signifying a positive shift in the perception of the A-League.”

The report also highlights the fact that A-League attendances were the lowest ever in the competition, thanks in large part to COVID-19, with an average attendance of 5,660.

Foreign players in the league reduced by 12 to a total of 51, whilst the average salary in the A-League is $136,791.

Access the full report HERE.

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