Football Queensland (FQ) are pleased to announce Cathy Temple as the May recipient of the Referee of the Month award.

Cathy was nominated by FQ State Referee Manager David Wiebe, who highlighted her efforts in providing guidance to young referees in the early stages of their careers.

“Cathy is an extremely hard working individual who not only does everything she is appointed to, but also goes above and beyond to help others out,” Wiebe said.

“You will always see her with a smile on her face and she is content in helping the younger referees navigate their way through their careers.

“Cathy is an excellent role model for female referees and it’s because of her attitude that I nominated her for this award.”

Cathy, who has been refereeing since 2013, said she was surprised to learn she’d been chosen as the May Referee of the Month.

“I was gobsmacked, I thought no it can’t be, why me?” she said.

“When I spoke to David he said he wanted me to know that all my hard work doesn’t go unnoticed.

“I’m proud and really thankful that I’ve been chosen.”

Cathy said she loves the fitness benefits of refereeing, as well as the opportunity it gives her to meet new people every day.

When asked how she deals with the challenges of refereeing, Cathy said she sees the challenges she’s faced with in games as opportunities to improve her refereeing skills.

“The more challenges I have, the more I enjoy it. It’s how I learn the laws of the game better,” she said.

“Every game is different, so I am prepared for every challenge and I take every game as a new game.

“Without challenge, you can’t go anywhere.”

As well as improving her own refereeing skills, Cathy said she sees the importance in helping to develop the skills of younger referees in the early stages of their careers.

When asked what advice she’d give to young referees, Cathy said she’d encourage them to seek guidance from the people who are there to support them in their role.

“My advice would be to persevere with it and not to give up if they are faced with challenges from parents or any spectators,” she said.

“I would also encourage young referees not to be afraid to ask questions, because everyone is human and everyone makes mistakes.”