IT’S not every weekend that three siblings from the same family take charge of the same football match.
But that was the case when Lilly Maidment, 17, joined brothers William, 16, and David, 15, to officiate an under-14 fixture – with William in the centre and his brother and sister running the lines as assistant referees.
“This was our first game refereeing together and this has been my first-year refereeing,” said Lilly.
“William and David have been doing it for two years.”
For William, the appointment marked a significant milestone as his first match as a club referee in the middle on the full-sized field.
Lilly said they would be looking to referee more games together dependant on their playing schedule, after having played since they were children.
The rare family first impressed veteran Ipswich football identity Joe Fenech, who has spent decades involved in the local game.
“In all my years in football, I’ve never seen three siblings officiate the same match,” he said.
Leighanne Clarke, the Mini Roo and Referee Co-ordinator at Western Spirit Club whose role is to help develop the referees, learning the game and organising them with games to referee each week said William had rapidly progressed through the referee ranks, earning praise for his confidence, willingness to learn and growing understanding of the game.
Ms Clarke said his first appointment as the central referee on the big field reflected the trust officials have placed in his development.
“Will has done a fantastic job with his refereeing,” Ms Clarke said.
“He’s grown in confidence, shown great commitment to learning each week and developed a strong understanding of the game very quickly, which has led to him taking charge of his first under-14 match in the centre.”
Lilly and David are proving they are every bit as enthusiastic about following the same path.
Both continue to build their knowledge of the game while gaining valuable experience as assistant referees, with Fenech believing they have bright futures ahead.
“They’re growing in confidence and knowledge every week, and this was another big step forward in their development as referees.”
