Football West News
Football West hailed its two Golden Whistle winners last night at the 2026 Referee Awards.
Jess Byrd won the Female Referee of the Year award while Josh Mannella was named Male Referee of the Year.
Shorlisted with Byrd were Jasmine Bremner and Jessica Phillips, while Mannella was shortlisted alongside David Bruce and Steve Gregory.
FIFA-listed match official Arvin Shanmuganathan was named Assistant Referee of the Year.
Adrien Liechti was named State League Referee of the Year, with the State League Assistant Referee of the Year award going to Callum Smith.
Connor Richards was Amateur League Referee of the Year.
Football West Deputy Chair Ivy Chen and Referee Manager Dave Avison were the speakers at the Referee Awards, which were held at On the Point on Riverside Drive in East Perth.
In her speech, Ms Chen paid tribute to 2025 Golden Whistle winner Shane Skinner, who, after four seasons of officiating in the A-League competitions, is taking a break to focus on his career and family.
Full list of winners:
Golden Whistle – Female Referee of the Year: Jess Byrd
Golden Whistle – Male Referee of the Year: Josh Mannella
Assistant Referee of the Year: Arvin Shanmuganathan
State League Referee of the Year: Adrien Liechti
State League Assistant Referee of the Year: Callum Smith
State League Youth Referee of The Year: Roland Turk
Amateur League Referee of the Year: Connor Richards
Community Competitions Referee of the Year: Bernadette Colot-Binnekamp
Junior League Female Referee of The Year: Taliyah Delavale
Junior League Male Referee of The Year: Daniel Kemp
Referee Encouragement Award: Ajit Penikalapati
