Football South referee development manager Lindsey Robinson is heading to a major new job — but she will not be going far.
Robinson has been appointed to the same role with the national body, New Zealand Football.
She jumped at a rare opportunity when NZF referee development manager Ken Wallace decided to retire after 20 years in the role.
‘‘I thought it was an opportunity where you don’t know till you put your hat in the ring,’’ Robinson said yesterday.
‘‘I’ve got a passion to develop referees, and I want to continue some of the good work that’s been going on and hopefully take it to a new level.
‘‘It’s going to be challenging, and it’s exciting.’’
Robinson hails from England, where she rose to the top of the refereeing ranks and controlled the women’s FA Cup final in 2018, before moving to New Zealand.
She has quickly come to call the South home, and is delighted the new role does not mean she has to relocate.
‘‘They’re still allowing me to remotely work from Wanaka, which is a bit of a change for New Zealand Football.
‘‘I love living in Central Otago but will still frequent the offices in Auckland and get around all the federations to support them.’’
Robinson said she had loved working for Football South and hoped to maintain that positive relationship when she joined the national organisation.
She was looking forward to bringing a southern voice to the top table.
‘‘It’s definitely important to keep reminding the national body that football is for the whole of New Zealand.
‘‘There are some great people down here. I think they know that, but it’s just about tapping their shoulder and reminding them sometimes.’’
Her passion for football refereeing has only grown since moving into the development role, and she plans to do everything possible to help the New Zealand scene get stronger, especially at the grassroots.
‘‘I want to keep growth going, and improve the quality of refereeing.
‘‘We’ve also got some fantastic high-level competition coming up, and we want to utilise those opportunities.’’
While she will not blow a whistle at the 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup — the biggest sports event New Zealand will have hosted — she will play a role behind the scenes.
‘‘It’s exciting. There’s some great growth in women’s football at the moment.’’
Robinson starts the new role on August 30, and said she was grateful to both Football South and New Zealand Football for the opportunities she had been given.
A mark of her success in the role in the South is that the number of referees has increased significantly since she arrived in 2018.
