Football West would like to congratulate NPL referee Jess Byrd after she helped officiate her first Westfield W-League match.
Byrd, the 2020 NPLWA Women’s Referee of the Year, was the assistant referee for last Friday's match between Perth Glory and Melbourne City at Dorrien Gardens.
Byrd completed her Level 1 Referee Course with Football West last year and has been involved in both Men's and Women's NPL matches in WA.
Football West Referee Coordinator Simon Hicks said: “We are very proud of Jess for receiving her first Westfield W-League appointment after years of hard work and dedication to refereeing.
"Her success demonstrates the strength of our referee development initiatives, particularly in the female referee space following last year’s appointment of an all-female officiating team to an NPLWA Women’s match for the first time.
"Female referees are a big focus for us and we hope to see more of our female referees, such as Libby Caldwell and Caleigh Ormerod from the All Flags Referee Academy, follow in the footsteps of Jess to the elite and national competitions.”
Byrd began refereeing as a Level 4 in 2014, attended National Youth Championships in 2016, 2017 and 2018 and was a member of the All Flags Referee Academy from 2019-2020.
Image: Jess Byrd, centre, ran the line at the Perth Glory-Melbourne City game last week
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