Kate Jacewicz becomes A-League’s first full time female referee

The A-League refereeing landscape is changing, with the league appointing its first full time female ref.

Kate Jacewicz, is to become the first female ref in the A-League. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

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It’s a giant leap for the A-League, but one small — and logical — step for Kate Jacewicz.

After overseeing nine W-League grand finals and refereeing at the Women’s World Cup in France, Jacewicz has become the first woman appointed to the A-League’s refereeing panel for the coming season.

At 34, Jacewicz joins just a tiny handful of females officiating in elite men’s football around the world after taking a year off from outside work to focus on refereeing — especially her appointment to the World Cup panel.

Appropriately studying psychology, Jacewicz will actually miss the start of the season through a UK refereeing exchange.

But it’s hugely symbolic that one of the figures she replaces on the A-League panel is Jarred Gillett — the Australian ref who switched to the UK earlier this year after nine years in the A-League, but started refereeing with Jacewicz at the same Gold Coast club at the same time and almost the same age in their early teens.

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Kate Jacewicz is to become the first female referee in the A-League. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

“We came through the same system, we’d been at the same club, refereed in the same leagues on the Gold Coast,” she said. “Then I got selected for the girl’s state titles and he got selected for the boys' state titles. That's where the two pathways separated.

“In a different world, take away the genders, would we have gone on the same pathway? In terms of skillsets, it's the same — we analyse clips the same, we talk about decisions in the same way. The analysis is the same, there's only one set of laws of the game.

“I've certainly been able to learn a different perspective, but ultimately, when you break it all away, it's the same game.”

Kate Jacewicz refereeing in the W-League. Picture: George Salpigtidis

Most of all, Jacewicz hopes that she will quickly be seen as just the A-League’s 43rd ever referee, rather than its first female one — even though she’s aware that some responses will be less charitable than others.

“I can't control the reception I'll get, I can only control my performance,” she said. “But I'd ask the football community to reserve judgment until you've seen me whistle, and base that judgment on my ability, not my gender.

“If I get something wrong, it's something I've seen on the fly, and I'll accept that.”

Jacewicz refereed at this year’s Women’s World Cup. Pic: Emily Mogic

The appointment of Stephanie Frappart to referee the Super Cup between Liverpool and Chelsea a fortnight ago was the most high-profile example of a female ref in men’s football, following the Bundesliga’s Bibiana Steinhaus and Swiss ref Nicole Petignat who took charge of three UEFA Cup qualifying round games between 2004 and 2009.

But Jacewicz is adamant that her officiating isn’t influenced by whether she’s in charge of a men’s or women’s game.

“If I get met with a professional match, where there's no need for over-officious management, I'll sit back,” she said. “There's no need to over-referee the game in a sense.

Stephanie Frappart refereed the Super Cup match between Liverpool and Chelsea. Picture: AFP

“But in a game where players aren't accepting decisions, even when they're correct, then you have to bring something else to the game. That's nothing to do with whether it’s male and female games.

“I'm a listener, I try to use a lot of empathy when I'm dealing with players, especially frustrated players. Though if they're just being a jerk, then I'll give them that back.

“But let's say I've caused a level of frustration with a decision which might have been 50:50 — I'll tell them their behaviour is unacceptable, but acknowledge that the decision might have caused some of their frustration.”

Originally published as Kate Jacewicz becomes A-League’s first full time female referee