The country’s leading match officials have been recognised for their efforts through the 2019 Referee of the Year Awards.

The winners of each award were decided upon by the New Zealand Football Referee Appointments Panel, who faced a tricky voting process as there were a number of worthy candidates in each category.

“It was difficult for the panel to decide who should be recognised and this was reflected in the very close voting results,” says Ken Wallace, Referee Development Manager for New Zealand Football.

“The winners have ultimately been recognised for their high achievement on the field and their professionalism off the field,” he adds.

“They have put in a great deal of time and effort, often at their own expense, to compete with their colleagues overseas – some of whom are fully professional. They continue to show that successful participation in the highest levels of the game is possible from amateur competition.”

Men's Referee of the Year was awarded to Matt Conger while Women’s Referee of the Year went to Anna-Marie Keighley.

In addition to domestic competitions, Conger officiated in the OFC Champions League and OFC Men’s Olympic Qualifiers, as well as in the Saudi Arabia and China professional leagues. He was also the man in the middle for one of the most famous fixtures in world football, controlling the latest instalment of the fierce rivalry between Brazil and Argentina last December.

The highlight of Keighley’s year was the FIFA Women’s World Cup in France while she also took part in the Algarve Cup in Portugal and refereed an international friendly between Australia and Chile.

Keighley was joined in officiating at both the FIFA Women’s World Cup and Algarve Cup by Sarah Jones, who was named Women’s Assistant Referee of the Year. 

Men's Assistant Referee of the Year went to Mark Rule, who joined Conger in officiating at the OFC Champions League and OFC Men’s Olympic Qualifiers, as well as the Brazil-Argentina match.

In the small-sided game, Antony Riley was named Men's Futsal Referee of the Year after officiating in the OFC Futsal Nations Cup and OFC Futsal Champions League while Keighley picked up a double of awards after also earning Women’s Futsal Referee of the Year. 

Anna-Marie Keighley and Sarah Jones at the FIFA Women's World Cup (Getty Images)

New Zealand Football Referee Awards 

Men's Referee of the Year
Matt Conger

Women’s Referee of the Year
Anna-Marie Keighley

Men's Assistant Referee of the Year
Mark Rule

Women’s Assistant Referee of the Year
Sarah Jones

Men's Futsal Referee of the Year
Antony Riley

Women’s Futsal Referee of the Year
Anna-Marie Keighley 

Article added: Monday 08 June 2020