The Irish Football Association is staging a development day for female referees this weekend.
The event is set to be held in the Pat Jennings Lounge at the National Football Stadium at Windsor Park on Sunday (13 April) and top female officials will oversee training and development on the day.
Former FIFA Women’s World Cup referee and referee instructor Jenny Palmqvist, from Sweden, will be there along with ex-FIFA referee and PGMOL Female Referee Manager Rebecca Welch, from England.
Additionally Paula Brady, an ex-FIFA referee who works for the Football Association of Ireland’s Women’s Referee Development department these days, will be there, while Northern Ireland referee Louise Thompson, who is a FIFA ref and a NIFL Championship ref, will be making a presentation, too.
We're hosting a female referee development day this Sunday 13 April at the National Football Stadium at Windsor Park 🏟️ Find out how to get involved ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/GUBOT07e9E
— Irish FA (@IrishFA) April 10, 2025
Arleen Campbell, Women’s Referee Pathway Officer with the Irish FA, explained:
“This is the first female development day being held here. It shows the progress being made in recruitment, training and development within the female refereeing pathway and in building relationships with officials from other places and from other sports, not just football.
“This is a great chance for our officials to come together before the women’s domestic season kicks off in the next few weeks. Anyone interested or thinking of giving refereeing a go will be more than welcome.”
Topics on the agenda include the laws of the game and the offside rule among other things.
Referees from Scotland, Wales, Republic of Ireland and from across Northern Ireland have already signed up to take part in the full day of development, learning and progression.
The event is due to run at the National Stadium on Sunday from 10am until 4.15pm.
Anyone interested in attending should contact referees@irishfa.com.
