In light of this week being Female Football Week we will be profiling some females across all aspects of the game.  Today we introduce you to Angela Gray, one of our referee’s, who recently had the great experience of refereeing the Matildas at WIN Stadium as part of their preparation for the Olympic qualifiers.

Angela Gray

Referee

Angela Gray is a talented young Referee in the Illawarra who adores the game of football in all its forms. She began refereeing for pocket money in 2009 whilst serving as a player at Kiama Junior Football Club for 10 years. The more Angela refereed, the more she fell in love with this aspect of the game, and it was then that she found her calling, fulfilling the age old saying ‘You never know unless you give it a try’.

Since that time, she has undertaken the Level 4 referees course through Football South Coast to develop a better understanding of the theory and application of the game and what it takes to be a top level referee. Angela chose to become a referee because she wanted to challenge herself, to beat the odds and succeed in such a tough and demanding position.

Angela finds refereeing to be a very rewarding and satisfying endeavour, claiming  “I always have the best seat in the house, I get to witness and experience the killer goals and amazing plays that unfold first hand, it's amazing”. Being a referee has helped her grow as a person; It's given her skills she will use for years to come, such as learning to be fair, asserting control, resilience and keeping cool under pressure, just to name a few. Angela believes that being a referee is very beneficial for women as it helps build character, develop respect and teach valuable lessons, and she truly recommends being a referee for any woman, “it is a good way to stay in the game if you are not playing”. Angela also commented on how many opportunities there are for female referees, now that the game is booming in growth for female participants and the demand and progression is high.

Recent highlights for Angela’s refereeing includes being appointed as referee for the recent exhibition match between the Matilda’s and the Illawarra Stingrays. She described the experience as crazy exiting, claiming that when she got the news, she was shocked because she still looked up to some of the players she would later be in charge of. Angela also pointed out a personal highlight of being an Assistant Referee in the District League Grand Final, stating she remembers witnessing the winning goal being scored at her end, an amazing strike that she will never forget.

Angela has big aspirations after being called up to referee the Matildas and after getting a taste of higher level football, she hopes to progress far enough to become a referee in the NSW state league, W-League and one day FIFA World Cup. But one match at a time for Miss Gray as she looks forward to an exciting and challenging 2016 season ahead.

Story by Samantha Jordan