Football Australia have appointed former Premier League referee David Elleray to the position of Chair of the Referees’ Committee.
Renowned for refereeing in England when the Premier League came into existence, Elleray brings with him a wealth of top-flight experience having also officiated the 1994 FA Cup final as well as 70 international fixtures.
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He has also held senior leadership positions within global football governance and referee development where he sat on the Football Association Council for 20 years, including as chair of the FA Referees’ Committee.
Furthermore, Elleray also held the position of Technical Director for the International Football Association Board (IFAB), which is the international body responsible for determining and Maintaining the Laws of the Game.
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Joining Elleray as a new member of the Referees’ Committee is former FIFA Futsal Referee Ryan Shepheard.
Australia’s most decorated futsal referee, Shepheard became the first Australian to referee a FIFA Futsal World Cup semi-final in 2024, capping off an impressive career which saw him listed as an elite Asian Football Confederation referee for 15 years where he also became the first Australian to referee an AFC Futsal Asian Cup Final.
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“The appointments of David Elleray and Ryan Shepheard signal Football Australia’s intent to drive performance, consistency and innovation across all levels of officiating,” Football Australia Head of Referees, Jon Moss said.
“Their leadership and expertise will continue to build a high-performance refereeing culture at Football Australia that underpins the integrity and success of the game nationwide.
“With strong international standing and deep technical expertise, the enhanced Referees’ Committee will play a central role in shaping policy, development pathways and high-performance standards for Australian match officials.”
