Football fans will witness history on Saturday when referee Kate Jacewicz leads Melbourne City and Newcastle Jets out to the AAMI Park pitch.

Jacewicz will become the first female referee to officiate a Hyundai A-League match and blaze a trail for all women who follow her.

Football Federation Australia named Jacewicz, and Ben Abraham, as new additions to the 11-person Hyundai A-League Referees Panel in August 2018.

Jacewicz was the first women to ever be selected to the panel and now she has been assigned her first match in Round 15.

“Kate is without doubt one of the leading referees in the world at any level and we congratulate her on the appointment to the Hyundai A-League referees panel,” said FFA Chairman Chris Nikou in August.

Jacewicz is one of the most decorated officials in Australian football history after being named Westfield W-League Referee fo the Year an unprecedented eight times.



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The 34-year-old was on whistle duty on the global stage in 2019 after being nominated as one of 27 referees at the FIFA Women’s World Cup in France.

She oversaw two matches during the group stage, and was retained among the pool of 11 for the knock-out rounds and appointed as the fourth official for the third place playoff.

Jacewicz, who was born in Manly on Sydney’s Northern Beaches and grew up on the Gold Coast, refereed her first match at the age of 13.

She was nominated to run the rule over Queensland state titles at the age of 17, before progressing to earn her FIFA badge in 2011 and being selected to officiate at the 2016 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Jordan.

When Jacewicz blows her whistle for the 7.30pm AEDT kick-off on Saturday, 18 January, she will add another accomplishment to an already illustrious career, and her most ground-breaking achievement yet.

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