The last twelve months have seen a remarkable shift and growing influence of women in refereeing across the Australian game.
Female match officials have broken new ground across both the men’s and women’s professional game, including:
- Female referees officiating a Men’s Isuzu UTE A-League Grand Final for the first time
- The appointment of the first female VAR in a Men’s Isuzu UTE A-League Grand Final
- Increased female representation in major domestic finals, including the Australia Cup
- The emergence of young elite officials such as Lucy Hungerford, who officiated an Isuzu UTE A-League Men’s match at just 19
- The introduction of Australia’s first female FIFA Futsal referee for 2026
These milestones are underpinned by the newly restructured elite referee programme which includes 23 female officials and delivers greater access to high-performance environments and increased representation across national competitions.
Beyond match appointments, Football Australia has introduced a suite of targeted initiatives designed to accelerate the development and retention of female referees.
These include dedicated mentoring programmes, female referee ambassadors, expanded development pathways, female matchday analysts and observers, and a specialised VAR training programme to grow representation in video officiating roles.
There are also enhanced support structures for female FIFA officials, including provisions around travel and motherhood, which assist to build sustainable, long-term careers at the elite level.
Quotes attributable to Football Australia Head of Referees Jon Moss
“This is an exciting moment for female referees and reflects the significant and sustained progress being made in creating genuine opportunities for women in refereeing.
“We are seeing more female officials not only reaching the elite level but thriving in it — across both the Ninja A-League Women and Isuzu UTE A-League Men competitions. This also extends across all Football Australia competitions and events.
“The Ninja A-League Women Grand Final officiating team, announced on Wednesday, is the latest milestone in what has become a transformative period for women in refereeing in Australia and demonstrates a broader shift in the refereeing landscape.
“Football Australia remains committed to building a world-leading, inclusive refereeing environment, ensuring that talent and opportunity are accessible to all — and continuing to drive meaningful progress for women across every level of the game.”
The Ninja A-League Women Grand Final will feature, for the first time, an all-female refereeing team including VAR:
- Referee: Isabella Mossin (NSW)
- Assistant Referee 1: Lucy Hungerford (NNSW)
- Assistant Referee 2: Claire Green (TAS)
- Fourth Official: Caitlin Williams (VIC)
- VAR: Casey Reibelt (NSW)
- AVAR: Lara Lee (QLD)
- Offside Judge VAR: Maddy Allum
- Match Day Observer: Kelly Jones
At just 25 years of age, Isabella Mossin will take charge of her first A-League Women Grand Final, less than three years after making her debut. Her appointment is emblematic of a new generation of female referees emerging through Football Australia’s strengthened development pathways.
The team of eight is also testimony to the growing pool of female officials trained in VAR over the last twelve months and reflects the strength, depth and rapid development of female match officials across Australia.
