Young Football NSW Female Referees Acknowledged at 2023 Sport NSW Awards
Up and coming Football NSW referees Alana Zic and Molly Godsell were recently acknowledged at the 2023 Sport NSW Community Sports Awards held at CommBank Stadium on Thursday 29th of June.
Molly was nominated for the ‘Young Official of the Year’ category and Alana for the ‘Community Official of the Year’. Both were both recognised as finalists in their categories.
Alana Zic – Community Official of the Year Finalist
Alana currently referees with both Hills Football and NSW State League Football Referees. Alana is a member of the FNSW Referee Academy and regularly officiates on both local premier league matches and NSW NPL Women’s fixtures.
2022 saw Alana receive the Hills Football Female Referee of the Year Award; making her the inaugural recipient of the award within the branch. In 2022, she was also appointed to referee the Champions of Champions All Age Women Grand Final and selected to attend the Girls National Youth Championships.
Alana is a member of the FNSW Referee Academy and regularly officiates on both local premier league matches and NSW NPL Women’s fixtures.
Along with her success on the field, in 2023 Alana was awarded a Legacy Referee Coach scholarship. As part of this, Alana undertook her qualifications to coach junior referees which has seen her regularly share her experience as a match official with junior and female referees within Hills. At Proctor Park Challenge 2023, Alana coached and mentored new female referees who were officiating their first matches, showing exceptional leadership in educating and guiding the new match officials.
Alana’s volunteer work with her local referee branch, as well as her continued dedication to improving her own refereeing, highlights her passion and commitment to the refereeing community.
Molly Godsell – Young Official of the Year Finalist
Molly began refereeing with Nepean Referees Group and is now also a member of NSW State League Football Referees.
Molly was selected to be a part of the FNSW Referee Academy in 2022 and nominated to attend the Girls National Youth Championships 2022 in Coffs Harbour. At this tournament, Molly was named Referee of the Tournament in the U14 age group by Football Australia.
2023 has seen Molly make her NSW NPL Women’s first grade debut as a referee, and she was also awarded a Legacy Referee Coach scholarship. As part of this scholarship, she became qualified to coach junior referees and attended Proctor Park Challenge 2023. There, she was involved with coaching and mentoring junior referees throughout the tournament, providing valuable support to brand new match officials.
Molly’s talent on the field as a match official is complemented by her leadership off the field, demonstrated at events like Proctor Park Challenge.
Well done to both for their contribution to the game.
