New England referee to officiate at the 2013 AFC Women’s Asian Cup Qualifiers in Jordan

I didn't intend to run another soccer story so quickly, but after its past turmoil NNSW Football is finally getting its act together. 

Originally from Lismore but now living in Newcastle, Northern NSW referee Tanya de Boer has been appointed to officiate at the 2013 AFC Women’s Asian Cup Qualifiers in Jordan.

Tanya received her FIFA badge as an Assistant Referee at the end of 2011. This allows her to run lines on International games

Last year, she was appointed to officiate at the 2012 AFF Women’s Championships held in September, her first appointment since gaining the badge.

“It’s good. You put in the hard work for it, but there are also many others who are also working hard, so it’s never taken for granted when you are invited to tournaments.”

“Each tournament gives you another opportunity to learn, improve and demonstrate your ability, in order to secure invitations to future tournaments. You also get to meet some great people from other countries and visit regions you may never have had the chance to see,” said de Boer.

Tanya is among a number of Australian referees to officiate at the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Qualifiers which commence on June 5 and conclude on June 9.

“There are 4 groups for the Asian cup qualifiers. I’ve been selected to go to the Group A qualifiers in Jordan in June. Kate Jac (Referee) and Sarah Ho (Assistant Referee) have been selected to go to the Group B qualifiers in Bangladesh at the end of May. With Allyson Flynn (Assistant Referee) at a tournament in Algarve, Portugal, and Peta McCallum attending her first FIFA seminar in Bangkok, all the Australian Women FIFA Referees and Assistants are doing really well. Jacqui Hurford (Referee) is currently returning from injury,”

“With refereeing you go out there as a team and are supportive of the achievements of the others. If an Australian referee or assistant referee does well, it reflects positively on the whole Australian officials team. The idea is that you want Australia to have a high reputation for the quality of officials so that the women coming through are given greater opportunities to represent on the international circuit.”

Tanya comes from Lismore. In 2008, she became the first female to receive the Football Far North Coast Referee of the Year Award. Tanya now lives in Newcastle refereeing NBN State League and Westfield W-League fixtures. 

When it comes to advice, Tanya says “It only takes a short course to get you started. Where you want to take it is up to you. If you’re doing it for pocket money, that’s ok, almost all referees start off that way. However, if you want to take it further there are people, support and avenues to get you to a competitive level if that’s where you want to go, but you have to be prepared to work for it.”

Northern NSW Football (and the rest of us) would like to congratulate Tanya for her ongoing success and wishes her all the best during her second International appointment.