In this month’s edition of Behind the Whistle, Football Queensland caught up with up-and-coming match official, Jaamie Dyne, on her journey to the FQ Referee Academy and the opportunities it has provided for her as a regional referee.
Rockhampton local, Jaamie Dyne, has always been involved in football but originally never saw herself as a match official long term.
“When I was 13, I didn’t want to get a job, so I thought I’d referee since I already play and when I got to like 14 or 15, I thought ‘this is actually really fun’ and just sort of stayed ever since,” Dyne said.
Since her start behind the whistle, Dyne has achieved the 2022 Senior Referee of the Year (Central Coast) and in January was scouted to join the FQ Referee Academy, the next development stage of the Referee Pathway.
Launched in 2020, the FQ Referee Academy is an initiative designed to develop skills of young match officials who show potential; the participants gain access to a range of coaching tools and opportunities to referee alongside Queensland’s best.
As part of her FQ Referee Academy training Dyne had the opportunity to travel to Brisbane earlier this month to take part in a workshop and training event.
“It was pretty amazing, we refereed in a carnival, and I got to meet a lot of A-League referees, they talked about how they got to where they were, and they also gave a lot of tips; I’m not really exposed to that in Rocky, so it was awesome,” Dyne said.
Coming from a regional area, Dyne said this is the best pathway for her to reach her officiating goals, exposing her to higher level games and providing her with developmental tools she otherwise would not have access to.
“I’m aiming for the A-League, if possible, I think that’s the ultimate dream to be an A-League or Liberty A-League referee – that’s the goal,” Dyne said.
“I think the Referee Academy is a better pathway for me since I’m from a regional area as the levels just stop at FQPL 3, the Academy is the best opportunity if I want to go further.”
Although she has received a lot of advice from her time talking with mentors and instructors at the FQ Referee Academy, Dyne said learning to be resilient throughout each match is a word of wisdom that will stick with her.
“People are going to yell at you, people are going to get frustrated because the game’s very emotional and it’s very easy to take things personally; so, if someone’s frustrated, they’re just emotional, and they’ll get over it in a second and you’ll be fine,” Dyne said.
Reflecting as she continues down the referee pathway, Dyne said she is excited for what comes next, and this is just the beginning for her.
