Football Queensland (FQ) are proud to announce Wide Bay Football’s Caitlin Troy as the Referee of the Month award for August.

16-year-old Troy was nominated by Football Bundaberg Referee Coordinator Hannah Law for her tireless dedication to refereeing in the Wide Bay area.

Law highlighted how Troy travels to and from multiple training sessions and games every week despite living two hours from Bundaberg.

“We do games Friday night, we don’t leave the premises until 10:30pm,” Law said.

“Then she drives home, then she comes back out Saturday morning, then Sunday morning she’s back if we’ve got the FQPL games on or any local games and then she’s there on Mondays for training.”

Law also noted Troy’s exceptional fitness, knowledge of the game and respect shown towards her peers and players as the other main reasons why she deserved to be nominated.

“If they can show at such a young age they’re dedicated and willing to learn, other peers of their age and younger will look up to them and think, we want to be like them,” Law said.

Troy, who is in her fourth year of refereeing, cited a combination of curiosity and family as the reason she first picked up a whistle.

“I used to play and I’d watch the referee in the middle and wanted to know how they did it, then my sister, got involved and did it,” she said.

“So, I thought why don’t I give it a shot and see how it is and I’ve enjoyed every second of it since.”

Troy said the laughs she gets to share with her colleagues off the field and the unpredictable nature of the game on the field are her favourite aspects of being a match official.

L-plater Troy also reserved special praise for her mother, who accompanies her to and from each game and training session in the car.

 

Words: Samuel Johnson