Asian Success for SA Female Referee
Football Federation SA (FFSA) referee Maddison Kennedy will head to Kuala Lumpur this week after being selected for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Project Future Referee Program.
Maddison, who was the 2014 FFSA Young Referee of the Year, was selected for the Program after attending a pre-selection tournament in Hanoi and a seminar in Kuala Lumpur during 2015.
“I’m extremely excited and honoured to be included in the 2016 Batch of the AFC Project Future Referees Program.
“To be included in such a well respected program with some of the best referee instructors in Asia is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I am extremely grateful to be part of it” said the 21 year old.
Maddison is the first South Australian female referee to be selected for Project Future and after starting refereeing at 16, she is well on her way to achieving her dream of refereeing at a FIFA World Cup.
“I hope that with the experience of being in this program, along with hard work and the fantastic support that I receive from Football Federation SA and Football Federation Australia, I will continually learn and improve in all aspects of my refereeing” said Kennedy.
AFC Project Future started in 2007 and has seen six groups graduate from the program. Participants of AFC’s flagship referee development program receive instruction and support from top AFC Referee Instructors with some graduates going on to become FIFA Referees and members of the AFC Panel of Referees.
Football Federation SA State Manager of Referees, Stephen Toth congratulated Maddison on her selection and said that the South Australian football community should be proud to have one of its up and coming referees on the world stage.
“Maddison’s hard work and talent has been recognised by her deserved selection to a world-renowned program and she is a worthy representative of South Australia on the world stage”, he said.
South Australia has once again shown to be producing talented match officials and Maddison’s journey is a great example of a pathway that is unique to football and is available to any young talented individual who has a dream.”
The program will last for two years.
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