Football Australia has announced the Match Officials Panels for the 2025-26 A-Leagues seasons, headlined by Referees of the Year Izzy Cooper and Adam Kersey.
FA finalised its officials for the upcoming Isuzu UTE A-League Men and Ninja A-League Women campaigns after a “record-breaking” 2024-25 campaign across the competitions.
A mix of emerging refereeing talent and experienced officials are part of the Match Officials Panels, with Ninja A-League Referee of the Year Cooper headlining the A-League Women officials while Isuzu UTE A-League Referee of the Year Kersey is back alongside the likes of Alex King and Alireza Faghani, who was the man in the middle for the recent FIFA Club World Cup final.
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Emma Kocbek is also on the panel after making her Grand Final debut as an assistant referee in Melbourne City’s triumph over rivals Melbourne Victory, becoming the first female on-field official appointed to an A-League Men’s Grand Final following a standout debut season in the competition.
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FA also acknowledged the retirements of Andre Giev (Football NSW), Ryan Gallagher (NNSW Football), Sarah Ho (Football QLD), Kelly Jones (Football NSW), Josh Manella (Football WA), Janelle Sammut (Football VIC), Jasmine Steger (Football VIC), David Walsh (Football QLD) and Joanna Charaktis (Football VIC).
Football Australia’s Head of Refereeing Jon Moss said: “After a record-breaking year for the A-Leagues, there is no doubt the contribution of Australian officials to these results continues to see them highly regarded in world football.
“These panels have a strong balance of established and emerging officials. Our program will continue to evolve from last season, seeking to elevate our standards to be at world-class levels and play our role in delivering a strong playing environment for what will be an even better season ahead for the A-Leagues.”
Football Australia Elite Refereeing Panels season 2025-26
Isuzu UTE A-League Men’s Panel
Ninja A-League Women’s Panel
General Manager Elite Refereeing Alan Shortall added: “Having four debutants on the A-League Men’s Grand Final, including our first female assistant referee in Emma Kocbek shows our ethos of rewarding performance across a season.
“Adam Kersey and Izzy Cooper officiating their respective A-League Grand Finals as debutant referees, shows in all aspects our want to develop and select world class and high-performance officials.”
