Four Australian referees gunning to officiate at 2023 Women’s World Cup

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Football Australia have announced that four Australian match officials have been chosen as candidates to possibly officiate at the 2023 Women’s World Cup on home soil.

Australian female referees Kate Jacewicz, Casey Reibelt and assistant referees Sarah Ho and Joanna Charaktis will be required to fulfil a range of criteria over the next three years (in what FIFA is calling a ‘Road to AUS/NZL’ project), to be in with a chance to be selected on FIFA’s final panel of match officials for the 2023 tournament.

Football Australia Chief Executive Officer James Johnson said it is a great opportunity for the four match officials to officiate at a World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

“We are thrilled to learn of the selections of Kate, Casey, Joanna, and Sarah as part of FIFA’s ‘Road to AUS/NZL’ project,” he said.

“The FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia/New Zealand 2023 will be a tournament of firsts, and while numerous match officials have represented Australia at FIFA Women’s World Cups in the past, Kate, Casey, Joanna, and Sarah have the opportunity to be the first to do so on home soil and in doing so lift the profile of Australian referees and match officials.

“Australians from many of areas of the game will be central to the delivery of the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023, and just like the Westfield Matildas, we are committed to doing everything we can to support our match officials on their paths to 2023.

“In the XI Principles for the future of Australian football we highlight our commitment to anchoring the growth of Australian football in women’s football.  We are particularly focused on development pathways for our referees and match officials, and encouraging women and girls to take up opportunities to become referees and match officials. The involvement of Kate, Casey, Joanna, and Sarah in FIFA’s ‘Road to AUS/NZL’ project will provide the next generation of young match officials with champions to look up to.”

Jacewicz and Reibelt officiated at the 2019 Women’s World Cup, whilst Ho was involved in three previous Women’s World Cups in 2007, 2011 and 2015. If successful, Charaktis will referee at her first World Cup in 2023.

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Eastern Suburbs Football Association Announces First All-Female Referee Course and Expanded Women’s Competition

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Image Credit: Football NSW

The Eastern Suburbs Football Association has opened its 2026 season with three structural investments that reflect the growing ambition of community football associations to address participation, representation and development gaps simultaneously, beginning with the delivery of its first all-female Football Match Official Course.

The course, held at Matraville Sports High School and led by female liaison committee member Michelle Hilton and 2025 Referee of the Year Ariella Richards, brought 25 new female referees into the association ahead of Round 1. The initiative targets one of the most persistent imbalances in community sport, with women remaining significantly underrepresented in officiating roles at every level of the game, by creating a dedicated entry point separate from the mixed course environment that many women find unwelcoming.

The Women’s Premier League has also expanded, now featuring eleven teams and introducing a WPL1 and WPL2 structure following the first ten rounds of the season. The tiered format creates more competition opportunities for clubs across the region while providing a clearer development pathway for teams at different stages of growth. Returning clubs Randwick City, Glebe Wanderers, Easts FC and Sydney University join established sides in what the association describes as one of its most competitive women’s seasons. ESFA clubs have continued to perform strongly in state-wide competitions including the Football NSW Sapphire Cup, State Cup and Champion of Champions.

Building the next generation

The season opened with an inaugural Development League Gala Day for Under-9 to Under-12 boys and girls, bringing eight clubs together in a structured development environment ahead of Round 1. Sydney FC A-League Women’s players attended the event and engaged directly with young participants, a deliberate effort to connect grassroots players with visible examples of where the pathway leads.

“We are committed to creating more opportunities for clubs, players, coaches and referees to thrive, with a strong focus on participation opportunities to suit participants of all abilities and aspirations,” said ESFA CEO John Boulous.

The three initiatives, a new referee entry point for women, an expanded women’s competition structure, and a development-focused junior gala day with elite role models present, together reflect an association responding to the participation pressures the AFC Women’s Asian Cup has brought into sharp relief across Australian football.

More Than One in Five Football Australia Staff to Lose Jobs Amid Growing Financial Losses

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Image Credit: ESPN

Australian football finds itself in a curious position.

From the outside, the game appears to be riding a wave of momentum. Attendances, visibility and public interest have all experienced significant uplift in recent years, while major international tournaments and growing discussion around football’s future continue to place the sport firmly within the national conversation.

Yet behind that momentum, Football Australia is now confronting a far more challenging internal reality.

 

A compounding deficit

Chief Executive Martin Kugeler has reportedly indicated the governing body’s projected financial losses for 2025 are expected to exceed the organisation’s reported $8.5 million deficit from the previous year. Accompanying the financial outlook are substantial organisational changes, with reporting from Tracey Holmes indicating more than one in five Football Australia employees are expected to lose their positions through restructuring measures.

The figures represent more than a difficult balance sheet. They point toward a significant period of recalibration inside the organisation responsible for overseeing the sport nationally.

 

Losing the wisdom of existing staff members

For governing bodies, restructures are often framed as strategic necessities for future sustainability. However, workforce changes on this scale also raise broader questions around the challenges of such a transition.

People are often the carriers of knowledge, relationships and long-term strategic understanding. When organisations undergo significant structural change, the effects can extend beyond immediate financial outcomes.

 

Contradicting timing

The timing is what makes the developments particularly notable.

Football in Australia has spent recent years discussing expansion, growth and long-term opportunity. The conversation surrounding the game has increasingly centred on future potential. Often headlining stronger pathways, larger audiences, infrastructure development and greater visibility.

Against that backdrop, news of deep financial losses and substantial staffing reductions creates a different conversation: one focused not on where the game wants to go, but on what may be required to sustain that journey. Therefore, this announcement points toward stagnancy, rather than growth.

Further detail surrounding Football Australia’s strategy and long-term direction will likely emerge over coming months. For now, the developments serve as a reminder that growth stories are rarely straightforward.

Often, the periods that appear strongest from the outside can also be the moments organisations face their most significant internal tests.

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