Name: Jessica Jensen
Member Federation: Football Queensland
What I like about refereeing is the community and the lessons I have learned through it. Refereeing teaches you to learn from your mistakes (be coachable), know your worth, to be present, good communication skills and relationship-building skills. I love the community in refereeing; it feels like family. We build each other up and support each other while also fostering healthy competition.
There are quite a few differences between indoor and outdoor. In Futsal I like: the pace, the seamless teamwork/communication between both referees and the timekeeping bench (and R3 & R4 if appointed), and how the close proximity of benches and players calls for the referee to have better player and game management strategies. In outdoor I like: the build-up play and tactical aspect, the freedom to move around and how each referee has different perspective on where to move and when based on how we read the game, the fitness and mental strength required to stay engaged throughout the entire match, and the sense of responsibility that the centre referee holds.
In total, the two codes aren't too dissimilar. For both you require good communication between players, referees and benches, confidence, a good level of foul tolerance that matches the intensity and heat of the match, and to show your personality and humility to build long-lasting relationships.
Name: Daphne Gounaris
Member Federation/Academy: Football Victoria and the Football Australia Referee Academy (FARA)
I love refereeing outdoor football — it’s dynamic, challenging, and rewarding. Managing game flow, sharp positioning, and teamwork makes it exciting. Futsal complements my outdoor refereeing by sharpening decision-making in fast-paced situations. Refereeing has built my confidence, resilience, given me lifelong friendships, and a chance to grow in ways I never expected.
Name: Alana Zic
Member Federation: Football NSW, Football NSW Referees Branch (football), NSW Futsal Referees Association (futsal), and my local branch of Hills Football, in which I am the lead of Female Referee Development.
I enjoy the sense of community refereeing brings, along with the endless opportunities that are possible. Being able to get involved in football from another perspective and referee with people who become your friends is a unique experience that keeps pushing me to always strive to improve.
Refereeing both football and futsal gives you the ability to strengthen your football understanding, whilst also adapting and expanding it. Futsal is much faster, which pushes you to make decisions quicker and manage the game both efficiently and effectively. Football requires a slightly different approach, requiring a little bit more player management, different positioning, and a different type of anticipation and reading of the game.