The Football Australia Referees Committee have finalised the match official panels for the upcoming 2022/23 A-Leagues seasons.
All officials from the 2021/22 A-Leagues seasons have been offered and accepted positions on the panel, with ten new faces promoted for 2022/23 including New Zealand-based officials, reflecting the Wellington Phoenix ability to host fixtures in New Zealand following two-years of border restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Those new to the match official panels for season 2023/23 are:
- Isuzu UTE A-League Men: Joey Lee (QLD), Lara Lee (QLD), Hassan Jomaa (NSW), Campbell-Kirk Waugh (NZ) and Anna-Marie Keighley (NZ)
- Liberty A League Women: Allys Clipsham (NZ), Anna-Marie Keighley (NZ), Isabella Mossin (NSW), Beth Rattery (NZ), Shab Roshan (VIC) and Heloise Welch (NZ)
Ahead of the respective A-Leagues seasons commencing, Football Australia will be hosting an Elite Match Official Seminar from 16 – 18 September. This will be the first time in three years this event has been able to occur in-person due to the pandemic and provides an opportunity for Football Australia’s Referees Department to review last A-Leagues seasons, along with preparing for the season ahead to set the technical direction and season priorities for 2022/23.
Football Australia Head of Referees, Nathan Magill said: “On behalf of the Football Australia Referees Department and Referees Committee, we would like to congratulate all those selected for the 2022/23 Match Official Panels for the elite competitions.
“The next 12 months is shaping to be an exciting time for Australian match officials, and I am looking forward to seeing what our team will achieve on the domestic and global stage.
“The Referees Department has been working tirelessly to ensure the match official pre-season allows for the best preparation for the season ahead, and we are eager to be able to connect with the team as a whole for the first time in three years during September’s three-day seminar ahead of the Australian Professional Leagues’ competitions commencing,” concluded Magill.
Australian-based A-Leagues match officials continue to be acknowledged as some of the best in the world, with many being selected for international honours during the A-Leagues off-season.
Chris Beath, Shaun Evans, Alex King, Anton Shchetinin, Ashley Beecham and Alireza Faghani are currently at the 2022 ACL Champions League knockout stage hub in Japan.
Lara Lee, Kate Jacewicz, Sarah Ho and Mi Suk Park have also been officiating at the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup 2022™ in Costa Rica. Anna-Marie Keighley and Sarah Jones (NZL) have also been officiating at the global tournament.
Joanna Charaktis, Lara Lee, and Casey Reibelt have also been appointed to the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup 2022™ scheduled to take place in India during October.
The new A-Leagues 2022/23 seasons will kick off on Friday, 7 October for Isuzu UTE A-League Men, with the Draw for the Liberty A-League Women to be released by the Australian Professional Leagues (APL) in the near future.
You can see a full list of the panels HERE.
