Star Roma Mitchell student official Matthew Guerrera nominated for 2021 SA School Sports Awards

Teen referee Matthew Guerrera has had a remarkable soccer career and now he has the chance to win a SA School Sports Award. See how to nominate a rising star.

Soccer referee Matthew Guerrera has achieved it all this year, from officiating primary and high school games to being the man in charge on the field or on the sidelines at Football SA senior level.

At just 17 years old, the Roma Mitchell Secondary College student is fast rising up the ranks of SA sporting officials and has been nominated in the secondary section of the The Advertiser, Messenger and Department for Education School Sports Awards 2021 as a result.

Guerrera was surprised by the news.

“At first I was shocked but I feel honoured and privileged to have been one of the students the school sees to have made an impact on the community with my achievements,” he said.

“Winning would mean a lot to me as I have put an enormous amount of time and effort into being able to juggle school, sports and refereeing at once.”

Matthew Guerrera at the Roma Mitchell Secondary College grounds. Picture: Mark Brake

Guerrera obtained his level four officiating certificate through Roma Mitchell in 2019 and has since then been involved in countless senior soccer and futsal events throughout the state.

“I’ve been playing the sport since the age of six and have fallen in love with it,” he said.

“I started officiating school football from the age of 13 and my level four referee course allowed me to start officiating for Football SA.

“I’ve had so many highlights already, like receiving extremely positive feedback from FSA after refereeing a senior women’s game at late notice with only three weeks of experience at that level, and officiating senior men’s games as a linesman.”

While Guerrera has a stack of highlights to look back on already, there have been many challenges which come along with being a referee at such a high level.

He takes it all in his stride though, and believes it will only improve his ability.

Matthew Guerrera has excelled as a linesman in the top FSA competitions in 2021 and has been nominated for the School Sports Awards as a result. Picture: Mark Brake

“I’ve definitely needed to control some very aggressive situations between coaches and players, which has been testing,” Guerrera said.

“Communicating with a variety of people involved in a game to make it an enjoyable experience for everyone is challenging also because I need them to take me seriously and not see me as a kid.”

With the Football SA National Premier League season at the pointy end, Guerrera is fully focused on producing his best each week.

His aim is to build on each performance and eventually reach the highest level in Australia.

“I just want to be the best official I can possibly be and then one day I might be able to referee A-League games,” he said.

The School Sports Awards are the joint initiative of The Advertiser, Messenger and Department for Education.

There are three major awards in 2021 – individual competitors, individual student officials, and teams, with female and male, rural and metropolitan, and primary and secondary categories all included.

Enrolled primary and secondary students between the ages of 10-18 are eligible.

Entries close Friday, October 15. Nominate here.