Daphne Gounaris named in the National Referee Academy Class of 2025

Football Australia has announced the second intake of the National Referee Academy, a ground-breaking initiative in the Australian football landscape, designed to transform the Match Official pathway and cultivate the development of world-class officials.

The Football Australia Referee Academy (FARA) Class of 2025 comprises of thirteen match officials representing five Member Federations, which will see these emerging referees or assistant referees each commence a two-year program featuring dedicated referee education, training and mentoring to provide greater individual support covering technical, physical, and mental aspects to underpin accelerated development.

Upon announcing the new intake, Football Australia Head of Referees Jon Moss said: “The Football Australia Referee Academy is a critical component of the Elite Refereeing Development Strategy, as we look to develop further world-class officials.”

“By design, the Academy bridges the gap between the state NPL and national A-Leagues’ competitions, fostering seamless transition for our match officials and building depth within our ranks, creating competition for spots which drives a further elevation of standards,” Mr Moss explained.

FARA is aligned with Football Australia’s XI Principles and adopts a holistic approach to developing match officials, ensuring they are well-prepared for the demands of professional football, both domestically and globally.

This second intake follows the successful graduation of the Class of 2023, which saw eight members selected on the Match Officials Panel for the 2024/25 A-Leagues’ season, including: Vicky Clark (Football QLD), (Molly Godsell (Football NSW), Alexis Johnson (Football NSW), Page Malau-Aduli (Football QLD), Paula Malau-Aduli (Football QLD), Astro Sakalis (Football Victoria), Nathan Shakespear (Capital Football), and Declan Woods (Capital Football).

The other graduating members of the Class of 2023 will return to their respective National Premier League competitions with a greater understanding of their craft, who are ready to be elevated should the opportunity arise.

“It’s pleasing to see the immediate success of the Football Australia Referee Academy with more than half the inaugural intake being named on the A-Leagues’ Panel for this season,” Mr Moss continued.

“With the demands on our Elite Referees to officiate at FIFA and AFC tournaments, having a deeper pool of qualified match officials ready to be appointed to A-Leagues’ matches, and the National Second Tier from 2025, can only be a positive as we look to raise the standards of Australian football.”

To be considered for FARA, prospects are nominated by their respective state Member Federations, where candidates have matches assessed, submit an individual performance plan and fitness test results, sit an online exam, and then participate in a formal interview.

For Batch 2 of the FARA intake, Football Australia received over 30 nominations, with the final 13 referees and assistant referees selected by a Panel consisting of former FIFA Referee Jacqui Hurford, former A-League Men Assistant Referee Daniel Goodwin, and a selection of Football Australia’s full-time Referees. 

The two-year program for Batch 2 of the Football Australia Referee Academy will commence in January 2025.

FOOTBALL AUSTRALIA REFEREE ACADEMY – CLASS OF 2025