Nine referees from Northern NSW Football have represented the region on the national stage recently and will continue to do so with prestigious appointments to the Australian Championship and the A-League Women’s panel.
Flynn Cope, Caleb Low, Lucy Hungerford and Hayden Langholz were selected for the Emerging Socceroos Championships at the Home of the Matildas in Melbourne, with Hungerford nominated by Football Australia to attend.
Annie Hook and Tess Brumfield were selected for the Emerging Matildas Championships at Valentine Sports Park in Sydney.
All six of NNSWF’s match officials were successful at the two tournaments, with three of our referees taking part in grand final matches.
Cope officiated as an assistant referee in the ESC under-15s grand final, Hungerford served in the same role in the ESC under-16s grand final and Hook was the assistant referee for the EMC under-15s grand final.
Hungerford was then appointed as an assistant referee on the Hahn Australia Cup round of 32 match between Newcastle Jets and Adelaide United alongside fellow NNSWF match officials Josh Attard (centre referee) and Riley Kirkaldy (assistant referee).
Hungerford was also appointed as an assistant referee on the Hahn Australia Cup round of 16 match between the Jets and NPL Men’s NNSW club Cooks Hill United, quarter-final between the Jets and Macarthur FC and the Heidelberg United and Auckland FC semi-final.
Hungerford was named on the Ninja A-League Women’s panel for the 2025/26 season to complete her incredible season.
“I wasn't expecting to be named on the A-League Women’s panel and when they said that they had a spot for me, it was a good feeling,” Hungerford said.
“It felt like after nationals everything just worked out the way I wanted it to.
“Personally, it's a massive achievement because when I started refereeing, it wasn't something I was really looking at. The more I started doing it, it was what I was working towards. So it's kind of a look at how far I've come moment.
“I've had a few people say to me, ‘it's just the start’.
“It was an end goal but it also opens the doors to so many other things that I can hopefully eventually go and do through refereeing.
“I would say Brad [Carlin, General Manager Referee Growth & Development] has been the biggest supporter.
“He has been there through the ups and downs over the past couple of years that I've been refereeing. He's always been there to offer support and guidance.
“He's just backed me the whole time and he's been there and supported me through the whole journey.”
Attard, Kirkaldy and Sam Stewart have been named on the match official panel for the inaugural Australian Championship.
The Australian Championship is the national second-tier men’s competition that will commence in October.
The competition forms a pathway between state-based competitions and the Isuzu UTE A-League Men’s.
“I’m feeling a lot of excitement and a bit of nervousness as well as some relief at being included in the Championship,” Kirkaldy said.
“It was great to be selected alongside peers that I've worked with locally and nationally and I'm stoked to be able to work with them again on bigger and more exciting matches.
“This really gives me an opportunity to prove myself on the national stage and to be exposed to a high quality of football, match officials and coaching.
“The goal for me has always been to go as far as possible with my officiating. As soon as I started refereeing and realised I enjoyed it, [about 10 years] ago, it's always been in the back of the mind to really work hard to be on the national stage and beyond.”
General Manager Referee Growth and Development Brad Carlin was thrilled to recognise the achievements of local match officials.
“It’s a fantastic achievement to see nine NNSWF match officials being showcased at the national level,” Carlin said.
“Flynn, Caleb, Hayden, Annie, and Tess all proved through their performances at the Emerging Championships that they’re committed to becoming elite match officials.
“Watching Lucy shine throughout the Hahn Australia Cup and now being named on the Ninja A-League Women’s panel is another standout moment.
“Josh, Riley and Sam will take to the national stage in October and seeing their growth this year has been incredibly rewarding.
“I couldn’t be prouder of all of them and look forward to watching their continued development in the game.”
