NSW Touch Referees

𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬

These awards recognise the continuous service whether that be through Refereeing, Referee Coaching, Ambassador for NSW Touch Football or Panel at our State Events, each recipient has given to the refereeing arm of NSW Touch Football from the moment they received their State accreditation and proudly pulled on their State Referee jacket.

Their commitment, dedication and contribution have helped shape refereeing across New South Wales, supporting events, developing officials and strengthening our refereeing community.

𝟓 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞
Blake Brown
Brock Howard
Jacob Nelson
Edward Stanmore
Kane Thorburn
Caleb Walz

𝟏𝟎 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞
Alec Clark
John Clark
Ivan Cole
Patrick Moran
Greg Oaten
Ben Rogers
Andrew Smith
Craig South
Malcolm Ward

𝟏𝟓 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞
Paul Khoudair
Phillip Rainger

𝟐𝟎 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞
Peter Jones

𝟐𝟓 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞
Rina Janson
Phil Lowe
Barry McNamarra

𝟑𝟎 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞
Wayne Doran
Steve Lyons
Bill Slade

𝟑𝟓 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞
Erene Devall

𝟒𝟎 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞
Steve Fisher

Thank you for your incredible and ongoing contribution to refereeing within NSW Touch Football.

Congratulations on reaching these significant milestones!



𝐹𝑜𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝑤ℎ𝑜 𝑤𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑢𝑛𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑑 𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑛𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡, 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑖𝑐𝑒 𝑎𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑑 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑏𝑒 𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑡 𝑒𝑖𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 2026 𝐶𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑦 𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑝𝑠 𝑜𝑟 𝑆𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝐶𝑢𝑝.

Last Saturday night, we officially welcomed the newest members of our Talented Referees Youth Squad (TRYS)

Their speeches were straight from the heart honest, funny, emotional and so beautifully genuine that you just wanted to give every one of them a big hug.

This is a very special group of young referees, and we cannot wait to watch their confidence grow, see the friendships they build and follow where their refereeing journeys take them.

Congratulations to our newest TRYS members:

Maddison Beaven – Carlingford Cyclones
Caleb Berry – Ballina
Jonathan Brownlow – Hornsby
Christian Clemente – Forster
Benji Erickson – Yass
Kaelen Fean – Wallsend
Ella McFadden – Nelson Bay
Michael Perry – Northern Suburbs
Emily Pearson – Nelson Bay
Hamish Pirie – Mudgee
Zachary Spiers – Griffith

They join our current squad members:

Tara Roche – Hills Hornets
Dexter Roberts – Orange Thunder
Jessica Loring – Hills Hornets

When Ivan Cole accepted his service award at Saturday night’s Referees Awards, his message was pretty simple:

“If you want good coaching, come to Maitland.” 😂

A perfectly timed plug, considering Ivan is also our latest Referee Director Spotlight in the bi-monthly edition of Behind the Whistle.

Coincidence? We’ll let you decide.

Haven’t subscribed yet? Click the link below and stay across the latest stories from our refereeing community.

📧 https://bit.ly/SubtoBehindTheWhistle

Referee Director Spotlight - Ivan Cole From his early days learning the fundamentals to taking on a leader...

𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗚𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗨𝗟𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦 𝗧𝗢 𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗥𝗘𝗙𝗘𝗥𝗘𝗘𝗦 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗧𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗡𝗔𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧 👏

Recently recognised at the NSW Touch Football Referees Awards Night, these officials were named Referee of the Tournament across our major state events.

𝐕𝐚𝐰𝐝𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐮𝐩 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 - Tony Calabria

𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 - Trisha Cortaville-Smith

𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐂𝐮𝐩 𝐒𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐃𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 - Jason Whitney
(𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒 𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑡 𝑎 𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑑𝑎𝑡𝑒)

𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐂𝐮𝐩 𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐃𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 - Emma Bleasdale

𝐉𝐒𝐂 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 - Hayden Drapalski

𝐉𝐒𝐂 𝐍𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 - Trisha Cortaville-Smith

𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐫 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 - Harrison Brownlow

To be recognised as Referee of the Tournament is a significant achievement and reflects the professionalism, consistency and high standard each recipient displayed throughout their respective event.

Congratulations to all recipients on this well-deserved recognition.

𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 to our newly inducted State Graded Referees!

This is a significant achievement and a reflection of the commitment, hard work and dedication you have shown throughout your refereeing journey.

We look forward to watching you continue to grow and represent NSW Touch Football with pride.

The New South Wales Touch Football refereeing community came together in record numbers on Saturday night for the 2025–2026 Referees Awards Night.

Referees were joined by their families, friends, affiliates, mentors and supporters for an evening dedicated to recognising achievement, service and the people who continue to strengthen refereeing across New South Wales.

What was once primarily an occasion to induct newly graded State Referees and present them with their prestigious Blue Blazer has grown into one of the most significant nights on the refereeing calendar.

The evening now celebrates every stage of the refereeing pathway.
𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 to all our winners, Blue Blazer and TRYS inductees and Service Award Recipients.



View all our inductees and recipients by clicking the link below: -
https://bit.ly/NSWRefereeAwards

The 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐰 𝐌𝐞𝐝𝐚𝐥 is the most prestigious individual honour you can receive as a Referee.

To receive this medal is to be recognised as the very best in your State for the Year and last night at the NSW Touch Football Referee Award's Night, that honour belonged to David Baggio.

This is David’s remarkable 12th Matthew Medal, further cementing his place as one of the greatest referee's our game has ever seen.

CONGRATULATIONS DAVID

𝐀𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭’𝐬 𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐬 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐚𝐭 𝐁𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐂𝐥𝐮𝐛?

A quick reminder that arrival is between 6:00pm for 6:15pm on Level 2.

Dress code:
🔹 Graded referees – Blue Blazer
🔹 Referees being graded – Black pants with a white collared shirt or blouse (a tie or scarves will be provided)
🔹 New TRYS – Black pants with a white collared shirt or blouse (a tie or scarves will be provided)
🔹 Current TRYS – Please wear your TRYS jacket
🔹 All other guests – Cocktail attire or dress to impress

You will receive an email shortly confirming your table number.

We can’t wait to celebrate with you tomorrow night!

A full circle moment for our refereeing pathway

When the Sport NSW Community Sports Awards began in 2017, NSW Touch Football nominated Wagga Touch Associations David Baggio for Official of the Year recognising one of the greatest referees our game has seen, an award he went on to win.

Fast forward to today, and another Wagga Wagga referee has created his own special moment.

Charlie Cheesley’s recognition at the Sport NSW Community Sports Awards is a proud reminder of the strength of our pathway, the power of mentoring, and the next generation continuing to make their mark.

Read the full story 👉https://bit.ly/fullcirclemoment

Congratulations Charlie Cheesley!

A huge congratulations to Charlie Cheesley who has been named Community Official of the Year at the 2026 NSW Community Sports Awards hosted by Sport NSW

Charlie’s dedication to refereeing, his professionalism and the way he represents our sport is something we are extremely proud of.

From all of us in the Touch Football community, congratulations Charlie a very deserving winner and an outstanding ambassador for our game.