Football Queensland (FQ) is pleased to announce the formation of a new and improved State Referees Committee (SRC), with a focus on recruitment and retention of match officials across Queensland.
FQ CEO Robert Cavallucci congratulated the eight committee members on their appointment to the SRC.
“This revamped State Referees Committee brings together talented people from a variety of backgrounds and experiences in refereeing,” said Cavallucci.
“In the 2020–2022 Strategic Plan, Football Queensland identified the need to grow referee numbers around the state whilst improving the quality and standard of refereeing.
“The significant investment FQ has made in referees over the past 18 months has already led to a sizeable increase in registration numbers, and the SRC will provide expert advice as we look to reach our strategic target of 2,200 registered referees by 2022.”
FQ Senior Manager – State Referees Jacqui Hurford said she was looking forward to working with the new members of the SRC.
“FQ is implementing a range of new referee initiatives this year, including the introduction of Referee Coach and Development Officers, a buddy system for junior referees and new assessor and mentor ID tags as part of the ‘No Badge, No Bench, No Ref Room’ policy,” said Hurford.
“We are determined to continually provide development opportunities and increase the number of referees across Queensland, and we are confident the skillset and knowledge within the SRC will help FQ continue that growth trajectory in 2021 and beyond.”
The SRC works under the Australian Officiating Development Schedule (AODS) as set out by Football Australia.
FQ State Referees Committee:
John Peters is Chair of the State Referees Committee.
John began his career as a referee in 1994 and is now a Level 1 Assessor and a Level 2 Instructor. He has also served on Football Australia’s Assessor Panel. John is a Life Member and former President of the Soccer Australia Referees’ Brisbane (SARB), which was wound up in 2017 due to structural changes by Football Australia.
As Chair of the SRC, John is focused on recruiting, retaining and coaching referees across Queensland.
Gordon Nicholson is Secretary of the SRC.
Gordon began refereeing in 1972 and is a life member of both the Queensland Churches Soccer Referees’ Association (QCSRA) and the Australian Soccer Referees’ Association (ASRF).
Gordon was a Referee and Assistant Referee in the National Soccer League (NSL) before retiring in 2006 to concentrate on coaching and assessing referees. He assessed at both National Youth League and the A-League for several years and has attended numerous State and National tournaments.
Currently a level 2 Instructor and Level 1 Assessor, Gordon is keen on developing and assisting referees to attain their potential.
Darren MacLeod won the 2018 Football Queensland Mick Novakovic Award in Support of Young Referees.
Darren began refereeing in 1987 and is a current referee, Level 2 Instructor and Level 2 Assessor in Central Queensland. He has also the Referee Coordinator for Central Queensland – Gladstone, a position he has held for the past 10 years.
Darren is passionate about referee development, progression and retention in regional Queensland.
Zac Keenan won the 2020 Mark Shield Medal for Senior Referee of the Year.
Zac began his career at the age of 13 on the Sunshine Coast and is currently a referee in the National Premier Leagues (NPL) Queensland competition. In 2020, he officiated the Men’s All Star match between Queensland and NSW in the Kappa Festival of Football.
A qualified Futsal referee, Zac has been appointed to every SEQ Men’s Futsal Final since its inception and attended 11 national tournaments as both a referee and referee coach.
Zac is an advocate for the modernisation of referee coaching techniques and the development of referees, particularly in regional Queensland.
Kerrie Graf is the former coordinator of the Club Referee Program at Mitchelton FC and a long-serving football volunteer.
At Mitchelton FC, she took control of the Club Referee Program in 2013, assisting in the training and education of club referees to complement match officials and fill in gaps when required. The club referee pool now supports divisional, NPL, and NPLW teams from U12 to Senior teams and has been a widely successful program.
Kerrie provides an outside view on referees and is a valued member of the SRC.
Catherine Marsh is an active football and futsal referee.
Catherine is a current Exercise and Sports Science student and works as a designer, strategist and developer in the brand and digital sectors. She has held numerous logistical roles in sport, including at the HSBC Rugby Sevens Vancouver International Tournament and Canadian Figure Skating National Championships.
Catherine is passionate about eliminating barriers and creating a more inclusive space for minority groups to become referees.
Joseph Lee is an active referee in NPL Queensland.
Joseph began refereeing at the age of 11 at Kenmore Football Club (now UQFC). In a distinguished career, he has been an assistant referee and fourth official for the Queensland Soccer League (QSL) and in NPL Queensland. He has been appointed to six NPL Queensland grand finals, an FFA cup semifinal and has officiated matches in NPL Victoria and NSW.
Joseph has also coached youth referees at multiple state school titles and is passionate about mentoring the next generation of Queensland’s top match officials.
Adrian O’Connor is a two-time winner of the Football Queensland Mick Novakovic Medal in Support of Young Referees.
As an athlete, match official and administrator, Adrian has been involved in various sports including football, rugby league, basketball, volleyball, hockey, swimming, tennis, golf and softball. After first enrolling in a referee’s course in 2008, Adrian is currently a Level 2 Assessor and a Level 2 Instructor. From 2016 to 2020, he was a member of the Football Brisbane Youth Football Committee.
A long-serving primary school teacher, Adrian works tirelessly to recruit and train young match officials, presenting many referee courses throughout South East Queensland including beginners’ referee courses in schools.
