Aussie ref makes it big in Chile

It’s not just Australian players making an impact on the international stage but a young referee from Melbourne is also about to show her skills abroad.

Laura Moya, a current assistant referee in the Westfield W-League, has been added to the refereeing panel to officiate in the Chilean National Women’s League.

FFA Director of Referees Ben Wilson believes it’s the first time a current member of an Australian national refereeing panel has been accepted onto a similar panel in another country.

The 23-year-old, who has a Chilean background, was on a family holiday in the South American nation and decided to do some refereeing when she was spotted by local officials.

Moya was added into a talent ID program and she will now stay in Chile until December and officiate in the women’s national league season.

“The last two weeks have been very overwhelming as I have assisted several interviews in the capital city with various national league representatives outlining my future within the federation,” Moya said from Chile this week.

“I never thought that refereeing could open so many doors, and I am very grateful for participating in the W-League so far and I am very excited to learn from this exchange experience.”

Wilson says Moya’s groundbreaking opportunity is further proof Australian referees are well regarded around the globe.

“We’ve always strived to be recognized for producing referees that are considered world class,” Wilson said.

“You saw that in the recent World Cup with the performances of the Australian referees and this is another example that we’re on the right track.”