Capital Football Referees at the Ainslie Football Club over the weekend to celebrate and reflect on the performances and achievements during the 2022 Football season and 2021/22 Futsal season.
Before the first awards were presented, Capital Football acknowledged the performances and achievements of ACT Referees on the national and international stage, as well as honouring the referees appointed to ACT Premier League Grand Finals and Federation Cup Finals.
NPL Women’s Referees of the Year Karla Martin and Lara Smith, NPL Men’s Referees of the Year Georgia Ghirardello and Bruno Kehl, and CPL Men’s Referee of the Year Shane Nielsen were acknowledged by their colleagues after receiving their respective awards earlier in the year at the 2022 NPL/CPL Awards night in October.
Vince Cosentini (Belnorth FC) and Thomas Stuparich (Marist Canberra FC) were announced as the Ian Hotchkiss and Gordon Carmichael Award winners respectively. These two awards acknowledge a Junior Referee, who referees at a Club on the Northside (Hotchkiss) and Southside (Carmichael), who has applied themselves to refereeing in a professional manner throughout the Football season.
The Cadet and Academy Referee Program (CARP) was developed by Capital Football to identify and develop young referees who have the desire to progress. Jordan Skerritt was announced as the 2022 Cadet Referee of the Year, while Harrison Cracknell was this year’s Academy Referee of the Year.
Moving to the Senior Referee awards, Nicholas Jordan received the Futsal Referee Encouragement Award which recognises a senior Futsal Referee who has shown the most improvement & potential during the Futsal season. Similarly, the Football Referee Encouragement Award was presented to Declan Woods.
Delfina Dimoski was recognised for her contribution to refereeing, receiving the David Oner Management Award for the referee who exemplifies volunteering and service beyond refereeing, showing administrative and management capabilities of dedicated individuals outside refereeing Committees.
Scott Boon’s commitment to Futsal is without question, with his colleagues voting him the Futsal Referees’ Referee of the Year for the second consecutive year, noting his assistance in the delivery of courses and education sessions and being a positive role model for Futsal referees
The Nicholas Szego Award is awarded to the Referees’ Football Referee of the Year, which recognises a match official whose sustained efforts, skills and perseverance during the Football season have promoted refereeing in the ACT as voted by their colleagues within the Referee Community. Georgia Ghirardello was voted as the 2022 award winner, with her colleagues praising her commitment to training and sharing of her knowledge and experience, and her ability to bring people as a team on and off the field.
Capital Football would like to congratulate all award recipients, as well as thank them for their commitment to refereeing this year, and look forward to seeing everyone back in 2023
Click here for a full list of the 2022 Capital Football Referee Honours & Awards.