Rachael Titter is currently the most senior female referee in Central Football, regularly officiating senior men’s games in Hawkes Bay and operating as an assistant on Men’s Federation League games.  She was also selected as an official for the National Women’s and National Girl’s competitions last season.

Following on from a successful playing career, she has now been a match official for more than 5 years with in excess of 150 matches under our belt.  As part of her ongoing development, she will be attending the upcoming Referee Development Academy in Christchurch and also the Level 3 Training Course in Palmy.

We caught up with Rachael to find out a little bit more about here career and what advice she has for females looking to get into officiating.

Q: When and how did your officiating journey begin?

We are a football loving family.  We all play football at varying skill levels, including my husband Vaughan, daughter Jewel and son Charlie.

One of the most exciting things about being a mum of a sporty family, is the kids need a ref on Saturday mornings.  I started out as a mum picking up a whistle for both kid’s games (not only football) and I really enjoyed it.  Being right there with the best view possible to see the joy and excitement of not only your children, but their teammates as well.  As the referee you are rewarded with being as close to the on-field action as the players.

It's pretty cool watching a child score a goal and celebrate with their mates, or watch a goalie make an awesome save and seeing the proud whānau and friends on the sideline.

Once Jewel was old enough to play women’s league, it was one of my favourite moments in my football playing career (of 20+ years) the day Jewel stepped on the pitch to play in my team for the first time.  It’s a pretty neat feeling, and 2 years on, Charlie joined Vaughans team and they got experience the same thing.  Football is such an inclusive sport and I know there are many families who are just as fortunate as we are – even having their grandies on the team.

You will still find the mum me running around behind the whistle on a Saturday morning on a junior match.

During the off season after Jewels first year playing in women’s league, she came home and said “Mum, I really enjoy football, but I don’t really want to play anymore, I want to be a referee” And she promptly signed us both up for the Level 1 course that was running in the next school holidays.  Now mum and daughter not only take to the field to play, but we take the field to officiate together as well!

Q: What challenges have you had to overcome to become successful in our game?

Jewel and I have been incredibly lucky to be part of such a great support network within the local team of referees.  Right from the first time we took to the pitch as AR’s, the experienced referees have been great role models and always available to answer any questions and help out with advice and pointers.  It’s always a team effort on the day and we are always there to support each other.  I think the ref team here, along with our wonderful assessor/referee coaches and Russell (Referee Development Officer) help minimise the “challenges” because there is always help at the end of a text or phone call.

Recently I was an AR on a local match on a weekend Jewel was home on a study break, and I sustained an injury that deemed me unable to continue officiating on the match.  Jewel just marched up, took my flag and took over so the game could continue.  Something any ref in the same position would do.

Q: What advice would you give females looking to get into officiating?

As our friends at Nike say, Just do it!

Often football is thought of as a “mens” game, but we have some of the most amazing and talented women and girls playing here locally and throughout NZ and we have the most inspiring woman as the Referee Development Manager, the amazing Lindsey Robinson.

As referees we have the option to choose whether we want to referee women’s only matches or both men’s and women’s leagues.  We can also choose to specialise as Assistant Referees (AR’s) as well, if you would rather pick up a flag than a whistle.

For me, I have been lucky to be given the opportunity to officiate matches at a much higher level than I was able to play, and as a referee we get the opportunity to be part of some pretty amazing tournaments. 

Don’t forget, there is also the option of becoming a Futsal Referee too!  These fast paced and actioned packed matches also need a women’s touch!  There are some great ladies already taking up the whistle and they’ll be eager to support you in your journey too!

Q: You must have had some really cool moments in your career, do you have a standout moment that you won’t ever forget?

There are a lot of exciting opportunities and tournaments you can be involved in – locally, regionally and then if you are lucky enough, Nationally.

Probably the most exciting moment (for both Jewel and I) was when we received an official email advising us we had been nominated for the National Girls League only to be trumped when we found out we had actually been selected for the squad.

I remember my first National League match well… We arrived in Palmerston North to pouring rain, and the first match I had ever had on turf.  I have never played at that level, so to be able to be an AR and actually be a part of the match was indescribable!  The speed and skill level of these young ladies is extraordinary.  Watching a goal scored at National level from the sideline can only be outdone by my next match being the centre referee.
I have also been fortunate to have been 4^th official for the National Women’s League. The inner child in me had a great time being in charge of the substitution board – not to mention seeing a live TV crew streaming the match as well.

This season my “Cool Moment” was being nominated, then selected for the Female Only Referee Development Academy in Taupo at the end of August.  I can’t wait!

Q: What would you like to see football look like in NZ in the next 5 years?

This is a wonderful time for everyone especially us females to be involved in football with the FIFA Women’s World Cup kicking off merely days away. 

This has brought football to the forefront of pretty much everyone’s mind, so there are more opportunities out there than ever at the moment to be involved. 

I would love to see the current momentum with the girls Club and High School carried on and continue to be developed and for there to be enough female officials to be able to cover some, if not all of these matches.

Something I would like to see more of would be for the junior girls (and boys) to be able to be part of the senior matches by running on to the pitch with the senior players or supporting as Ball Girls etc.  I think the more we can all be involved from the grassroots through to the senior level, the more comradery and enjoyment we will all get out of the game.

We have some pretty talented players around at the moment, and I can’t wait to see what great things they achieve in the next 5 years too!

If you would like to find out more about becoming a referee please email our Referee Development Officer Russell Jones | russell@centralfootball.co.nz

Article added: Friday 07 July 2023