As OFC competitions concluded for 2025, an all-female refereeing team officiated the first round of OFC qualifying for FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 in the Cook Islands, signaling the end to a landmark year for female referee development and high performance in the region.
The team consisted of 10 female match officials, including four from New Zealand, two from the Solomon Islands, and one each from Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tonga, and Fiji, for four games across two matchdays in Rarotonga.
It follows on from the success of the first all-female refereeing team used for OFC competition at OFC Men’s Champions League Qualifying 2025.
“With the referee department team, we did a trial in the Cook Islands in February for the OFC Men’s Champions League Qualifying, and we brought the female elite refereeing group to expose them to men’s competition,” says OFC high performance referee coach Alejo Perez Leguizamon.
“We weren’t sure how it would be received, but it went well, and the officials showed they were more than good enough at that level. They were excellent, and we were confident they were ready for the FIFA Women’s World Cup qualifiers.”
During the first round of Women’s World Cup qualifying, the match officials also used GPS tracking during games and training to measure their total distances, sprints, and velocities, for feedback on what they do on the pitch. “It’s useful for us and them during training to manage their fitness and adjust loads, so that we know how much they’re running and what they’re really doing. We aim to provide a professional level of service to the competitions, similar to any professional athlete.”
OFC Referee Fitness Coaches Course
Eight fitness coaches from OFC member associations gathered for four days to update, share experiences, and standardise training and testing protocols for match officials in Rarotonga. The course was facilitated by OFC and FIFA fitness instructor, Alejo Perez Leguizamon, and included theory and practical sessions.
As part of the preparation process to check wellness (which includes stress, sleep, anxiety, and perception), match officials have also been tracking their sleep duration and quality via a mobile application on their phones.
Perez Leguizamon said that the officials took time for their bodies to adjust to the difference in time zone and conditions when they first arrived in the Cook Islands, having got very little sleep on their way to the competition.
As their bodies adjusted and the average hours of sleep increased, the energy and performance levels of the referees also increased. “We don’t want to be collecting a lot of data, we just want to be precise with it,” he says.
Match officials normally use the application to track their sleep prior to and during the competition, but it has been noted that officials will use it throughout the entirety of the OFC Pro League to track their wellness.
As well as sleep, match officials are also asked to follow dietary requirements in order to stay in top shape for competition. “In terms of food and diet, there is a whole set of preferences and different even approaches to food and nutrition, but we provide them some basic guidelines and some information about food and nutrition.”
Reflecting on the success of 2025 for female officials, Perez Legiuzamon believes big strides have been taken. “If you look back, there’s been a big shift in the competency and perception of referees. We look after them, their food, we give them the best possible environments, and they have specific training programmes before they come to competitions.”
Photo credit: OFC Media via Phototek