Waikato-based football referees Anna-Marie Keighley (centre, in pink) and Sarah Jones have been selected for FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in Costa Rica 2022. Photo / Shane Wenzlick, Photosport
Waikato-based football referees Anna-Marie Keighley (centre, in pink) and Sarah Jones have been selected for FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in Costa Rica 2022. Photo / Shane Wenzlick, Photosport
Waikato-based football referees Anna-Marie Keighley and Sarah Jones have been selected as match officials to officiate the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in Costa Rica in August this year.
The third official from Oceania will be Samoan referee Maria Salamasina. In total, 13 women referees, 27 women assistant referees and 14 video match officials have been selected to take charge of the matches running between August 10 and 28.
The FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup will be the first competition in which the team of video match officials will be all women.
For Keighley, a teacher at Hamilton's Rototuna Senior High, the competition will be her sixth FIFA World Cup, as she already attended the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada and the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup as well as the 2016 Olympic Games.
At the 2015 World Cup, Keighley even made history being the first referee to lead five matches at one World Cup including a semi-final.
Jones, who works at Fonterra, is also a veteran of international officiating and worked at the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup in France and the 2016 Olympic Games as well.
She also officiated the FIFA U17 Women's World Cup in Uruguay in 2018 and made history being the first Kiwi woman to be appointed to run the line in an A-League Men's match in 2016.
Both Kiwis are also shortlisted for next year's FIFA Women's World Cup in New Zealand and Australia.
Assistant referee Sarah Jones at the U-20 Women International Friendly, New Zealand v Australia in Auckland last weekend. Photo / Shane Wenzlick, Photosport
Chairman of FIFA's referees committee Pierluigi Collina says the U-20 Women's World Cup is the next important milestone in the preparation of potential candidates for the Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand 2023.
"After two years of the pandemic and all the difficulties that have arisen with the preparation of match officials, we are looking forward to this important competition in Costa Rica.
"By working with clear objectives and standards, while always aiming for uniformity and consistency in decision-making, we are convinced that another significant step will be taken towards to the FIFA Women's World Cup next year," Collina said.
Anna-Marie Keighley during the National Women's League Football match, Canterbury Pride V Capital Football in 2019. Photo / John Davidson, Photosport
This year will also mark the first time in a FIFA youth women's competition that video technology will be used to review decisions made by the referee.
FIFA's Head of Refereeing, Women, Kari Seitz says FIFA has been working "tirelessly" to encourage the development of women VARs (Video assistant referees) globally, as most women's football does not yet use this technology.
"This event will be a great opportunity to showcase the skills of the selected women VARs and also an opportunity to continue the development of our women VARs as part of the Road to Australia/New Zealand 2023 project," Seitz said.
