Football Queensland (FQ) are pleased to announce Jack Powers as the Referee of the Month for November.
FQ State Referee Coach Mark Simon-Green said Powers has gone above and beyond to improve his skills as a referee in only his second year with the whistle.
“In his fifth year of futsal refereeing, Jack has displayed unlimited potential,” Simon-Green said.
“During the SEQFPL season, Jack has done all that has been asked of him and more.
“He has taken on board all of the coaching that he has received and put it into action.”
As a result of his hard work and dedication to his refereeing, Powers has been selected to officiate at the 2019 FFA National Futsal Championships in Sydney.
After playing futsal and football since the age of 12, Powers said he decided to turn his focus to refereeing and give up playing both futsal and the outdoor game after seeing more potential for a future career as a referee.
“I saw a career path out of it,” Powers said.
“There’s a more solid progression with refereeing than playing, especially because I was never the greatest player, so I decided to take up refereeing and it’s going pretty well so far.”
While Powers’ long-term goal is to progress to the top level and make a career out of refereeing, he believes officiating brings more immediate benefits as well.
“Short-term, I would say my main goal would be gaining more life experience and life skills,” Powers said.
“There are quite a few shared similarities between life and refereeing – communicating with players, decision-making, working under pressure.
“The skills translate over really well.”
Powers admits this would be one of the highlights for him of being a referee.
“My favourite part of being a referee would be the friends that you make and the life skills that you gain,” Powers said.