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Female refs make World Cup shortlist

Published:Thursday | December 31, 2020 | 12:16 AM
Referee Odette Hamilton brandishes a yellow card, while Mount Pleasant’s Ronaldo Rodney protests during the first leg of their Premier League quarter-final match-up against UWI FC at the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex last March.
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Referee Odette Hamilton brandishes a yellow card, while Mount Pleasant’s Ronaldo Rodney protests during the first leg of their Premier League quarter-final match-up against UWI FC at the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex last March.

Four Jamaican female match officials have been shortlisted by FIFA for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

Referee Odette Hamilton and referee assistants Princess Brown, Stephanie-Dale Yee Sing and Jassett Kerr have been named to the list of officials the world governing body is looking at to officiate at the next world tournament.

If selected, it will be a second time for Brown and Yee Sing, who were both at the last tournament in France in 2019.

FOLLOWING SAMUELS’ FOOTSTEPS

However, it would be the first time for Kerr and Hamilton, who is looking to follow in the footsteps of Cardella Samuels, who officiated at the Under-17 Women’s World Cup tournaments in Azerbaijan in 2012 and in Costa Rica in 2014.

If named to the list, Hamilton would become the first local female referee to officiate at a senior global tournament.

Manager of the Referee’s Department at the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF), Victor Stewart, was extremely pleased with the continued strides of local female officials in the international arena.

“The females have been doing extremely well and are right up there with the best. Their output has been commendable and it has been recognised within the region by Concacaf, who now have an expectation of us,” Stewart said.

Stewart added that Hamilton and Kerr would have gained invaluable experience at the Concacaf Under-17 and Under-15 qualifiers that were cancelled this year, nevertheless he is confident they have what it takes to make the final cut.

“Jassette and Odette would have been to the (Concacaf) Under-15 but that tournament was not played. Princess and Stephanie are assistants, they have been there before, but Odette is a referee and she is looking to follow in the footsteps of Cardella Samuels, who went to Costa Rica and Azerbaijan.

Stewart noted that while he was happy with the output of the officials, the administration will be pushing to continue to develop the education and exposure of local referees and assistant referees to equip them to continue their positive impact in regional and international football.

“We have been pleased by the level of performance displayed by our referees, but notwithstanding, we are pushing to improve performance in every aspect,” Stewart said.