The Kent FA is pleased to confirm the recruitment of two new volunteers to the Referee Development Team.

We are delighted to confirm that Kirsty Dowle and Jo Park have been appointed to the roles.

The Kent FA is very much committed to ensuring female match officials are provided with the utmost support in the careers. Our new Female Referee Ambassadors will provide positive advice, guidance and provision for female match officials across all levels, by means of both administrative and in-game support, helping to develop the next generation of Kent’s refereeing workforce. The new roles will offer stability and long-term support to females going through a transition period in their qualification and embarking on their new challenge. Additionally, they shall provide a listening ear, advice and support, as well as being the regional point of contact, and can therefore have a very important impact on female match officials’ careers.

Kirsty is currently a Level 3 Match Official, operating on the Isthmian Football League as a referee and National League South as an Assistant Referee. She brings with her a wealth of experience, with her most recent achievement being appointed to the 2018 FA Women’s Cup Final at Wembley in front of almost 50,000 spectators! Kirsty is very keen to get going; “I can't wait to get up and running in this role. With the resources and backing we've got from Kent FA there's a huge opportunity to both develop those female officials we currently have and to recruit more officials. To be part of this pathway means you can get individual support from those who have been in similar situations, and there are so many opportunities open for female match officials to progress in women's football. It's a great time to be involved in refereeing football.”

Equally, Jo is a very experienced Level 5 Match Official who has been qualified for a number of years. With a very unique bank of experiences that Jo has had in the game, she too is looking forward to joining the Referee Development Team; “It was an honour to be offered the position and ever more of an honour to accept. I’m very much looking forward to getting started, working closely with Kent FA and Kirsty, to sharing experiences, recruiting new referees and supporting existing referees. It is our aim to support, progress, coach and get behind this opportunity of refereeing into women’s football.”

Referee Development Officer Nick Dunn had this to say about the new roles; “I am delighted that, having undertaken the interview process for these new roles, we now have two designated points of contact to support female match officials in Kent. We have challenging targets to recruit new female referees, as well as ensuring our current workforce has sufficient opportunities to develop and progress. Kirsty and Jo will be tremendous assets to the Kent FA’s Referee Development Team, and we are looking forward to getting going!”.

If you are interested in becoming a referee, please contact Nick.Dunn@KentFA.com or call 01622 791850.