Montana C of Year 8 was lucky enough to recently receive a Football NSW scholarship and has just become a Nationally recognised Football NSW referee at age 13!
Towards the end of last year, Montana was personally contacted by a Football NSW representative and encouraged to apply for the Football NSW Legacy Referee Scholarship. They were looking for leaders in female football (soccer).
Montana has always had a keen interest in soccer and has committed herself to her Gymea Team, with this being her 9th year playing for Gymea United Football Club. She has also trained for a year in the Gymea United FC Academy, two years in the SSFA Academy and was selected by Sydney FC to train in their inaugural Sydney FC Academy Training Programme at Kareela for 12 months in 2021/22.
Under the scholarship, Montana was selected to receive the:
- Nationally recognised Level 4 referee qualification,
- Referee starter pack (including Football NSW referee shirt, whistle, flags, red and yellow cards);
- An invitation to attend the Proctor Park Challenge 2024 in Bathurst, as part of the Football NSW referee team, with travel, accommodation and all meals provided.
The Proctor Park Challenge is a pre-season tournament in Bathurst, for teams in Under 12 – Under 16 from Youth League, Association Representative and Association Club teams, and they play shortened games over a weekend to provide pre-season matches in an enjoyable and competitive environment. This referee team of which Montana was invited to be a part of, refereed the Proctor Park Challenge this past weekend, mentored by Referee coaches from the NPL, A-League, State and National levels. You can read more about this amazing weekend event consisting of an all-female referee team for the very first time, of which Montana was a part of here: https://footballnsw.com.au/2024/02/16/proctor-park-challenge-hits-new-heights-for-female-referees/
At the Proctor Park Challenge weekend, Montana refereed 8 games of football, some as the centre referee on her own, and others as the Assistant Referee (AR1 or AR2) running the sidelines and using the flags to help guide and referee the games. She had experience in refereeing all ages from U12 to U16 and all under the guidance and mentorship of very experienced female referees and assessors.
Prior to being able to referee in Bathurst, Montana had to complete 10 modules of online self-learning, as well as a day of practical training out at Valentine Sports Park, Glenwood, the home of Football NSW. This was something Montana worked hard at, scheduling it around her school commitments to ensure she was ready for the Proctor Park Challenge.
Montana is now in the process of registering with the Sutherland Shire Football Referees Association where she hopes to referee some competition level games locally this coming season.
Congratulations Montana on your outstanding achievements. We are so very proud of you and grateful for you and your family sharing your exciting and high-achieving journey with us!
