The Football Association of Wales has appointed Ceri-Louise Williams as its first Women’s Referee Development Officer.
Meanwhile, the FAW has also appointed FIFA List Futsal Referee, Carl Hughes to the position of Futsal Referees Development Officer.
Williams, who regularly officiates in the JD Cymru Premier, brings a wealth of experience to the role having officiated in numerous international matches.
The FIFA List Assistant Referee has overseen FIFA Women’s World Cup qualifiers, UEFA Women’s Champions League group stage fixtures and UEFA European Women’s Under-17 Championship qualifying matches.
As Women’s Referee Development Officer, Williams will use her skills and experience as an international match official to guide the careers and development of women and girls refereeing across Wales.
Swansea-born Williams will be tasked with identifying Wales’s next generation of female refereeing talent and will provide the training and support they need to achieve their full potential.
Williams said: “I’m really excited to be taking on this new role. I hope to be able to share my experiences and my learning with the new generation in the hope that we can fulfil our full quota of female FIFA referees in the coming years.”
The FAW’s Match Officials Manager Lee Evans added: “This is a ground-breaking new role at the FAW and vitally important to the implementation of the Our Wales strategy. Having a Referee Development Officer for our new, talented and experienced female match officials is of paramount importance.
“Ceri is a role model both on and off the field for so many female match officials. She will build relationships and create camaraderie between the match officials which will only help develop their capabilities. This is an exciting time for Welsh football and our match officials.”
Having reached the FIFA List as a Futsal Referee in 2017, only 18 months after he first picked up the whistle, Carl Hughes has now become the Futsal Referee Development Officer for the FAW.
On his appointment, Hughes stated: “I am delighted to be joining the Football Association of Wales as the new Futsal Referees’ Development Officer and to be entrusted with the development of futsal referees across the country.”
“This is a fantastic opportunity for me to build on the excellent work of the previous post holder, whilst utilising my experiences as an international futsal referee to add further value to our match officials back here in Wales.”
Lee Evans said: “Futsal is a fast growing sport and it is vitally important to help develop and grow our Futsal Match Officials here in Wales. The appointment of Carl will help raise the profile and give vital support to our futsal Match Officials. Carl brings a lot of experience to the role and is very passionate and dedicated which will only be of benefit to the officials.”
BECOME A REFEREE
If you would like to find out more on how to become a referee, visit BecomeaRef.wales for more information and start your journey.
Two events for new women referees are taking place in July.
