Football NSW Referees star at National Youth Championships for Boys
As many as 10 rising Football NSW referees had the pleasure of officiating at the 2024 National Youth Championships for Boys held in Wollongong with Rowan Fisher rewarded for his outstanding performances taking out the Under 15’s Referee of the Tournament.
The 21-year-old, who first cut his teeth officiating with the Northern Suburbs Football Referees Association and is also part of the Football NSW Referees Branch, was delighted upon receiving such an accolade.
“I was absolutely buzzing when I got the Grand Final appointment and the award,” said Fisher.
“It was an incredibly massive week for me and it’s always great to see hard work paying off.
“Being selected to represent NSW was a proud achievement.
“It was great to be given the opportunity to prove myself and I’m so grateful for all the support I’ve been given.”
In addition to Fisher clinching such a deserving award, there were also significant achievements for fellow Football NSW officials Charlotte Flynn, Brodie Merchant and Matt Harris all of which had the duty of taking charge of both respective Grand-Finals.
Matt Harris, a member of the Macarthur District Football Referees Association and Football NSW Referees Branch, also paid tribute to the development opportunity the NYC provided.
“It was great to be selected for the Under 16’s Grand Final amongst a group of talented referees,” said Harris.
“It’s an important stepping stone and something I have been working towards for a long time to achieve, so it was a great feeling to be able to accomplish that.
“It was great to be able to represent NSW amongst a great group who really showed how talented NSW referees are.
“To be able to represent NSW for the second time was a great achievement and something that I am very proud of. “
Mia Velarde, Eric Saba, Aaron Bloch, Hayden Michlmayr, Joel Crawford and Luke Chapman also starred in the tournament that saw nine state and territory Member Federations compete in the prestigious Boys event which also featured over 700 players and officials from 32 teams.
Football NSW Referee Education Coordinator, Nick Young praised all the officials who represented their state with pride at the tournament.
“I was extremely proud of the effort and professionalism showed by the 10 referees selected.
“Being rewarded with seven semi-final appointments and four grand final appointments and a referee of the tournament was an incredible achievement.”
This great news comes off the back of a solid National Youth Championships for Girls campaign that saw female Football NSW referees Eliza Skinner and Alana Zic named as Under 15’s and Under 16’s Match of Official of the Tournament respectively.
