Busy year of appointments on club and international calendar
7 August 2017; Referee Neil Doyle during the EA Sports Cup semi-final match between Shamrock Rovers and Cork City at Tallaght Stadium, in Dublin. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
It has been quite a year for Irish officials with more UEFA and FIFA appointments than ever before achieved.
The development of referees has been a huge positive for Irish football with many of the officials who oversee SSE Airtricity League and Continental Tyres Women’s National League games now being trusted to handle games in FIFA World Cup, FIFA Women’s World Cup, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Women’s Champions League, UEFA Women’s European Championships, UEFA Europa League, and UEFA Youth League competitions.
Due to the experience that the Irish officials have gained this year, there is greater demand for their services. On Friday, December 15, referee Neil Doyle (pictured above) – along with assistants Robert Clarke and Wayne McDonnell – will take charge of a Saudi Arabian League match between Ohod and Al Shabab in the Prince Mohammed Bin Abdul Aziz Stadium.
John Ward, FAI Referee National Coordinator, believes the calibre of appointments in 2017 reveals the standing that Irish officials now hold on the European and the World stage.
“A lot of hard work has been done in recent years to improve standards and maintain professionalism across refereeing in Ireland. And we can see that is paying off with the number of high-profile appointments for our referees,” said Ward.
“We continue to challenge the officials at all levels and they have been responding superbly, which makes the selection of the FIFA Referees Panel all the more difficult each year.
“The officials on the FIFA Referees Panel have all excelled and they are fantastic examples to anyone who is considering taking part in one of the many referee’s beginners courses that we regularly host around the country.”
Here is a list of the key appointments of Irish officials in 2017:
UEFA Champions League
First Qualifying Round: Europa FC v TNS – July 4 Referee Observer: Edward Foley
Second Qualifying Round: FK Spartaks Jurnala v FC Astana – July 12 Referee: Neil Doyle Assistant 1: Dermot Broughton Assistant 2: Robert Clarke Fourth Official: Robert Hennessy
Second Qualifying Round: FC Sheriff v FK Kukesi – July 12 Referee Observer: Gerard Perry
Third Qualifying Round: Viktoria Plzen v Steaua Bucuresti – August 2 Referee Observer: Pat Kelly
Group Stage: Chelsea v AS Roma – October 18 Referee Observer: Pat Kelly
Group Stage: Shakhtar Donetsk v Manchester City – December 6 Referee Observer: Pat Kelly
UEFA Europa League
First Qualifying Round: KF Skenderbeu v UE Sant Julia – June 29 Referee: Robert Hennessy Assistant 1: Allen Lynch Assistant 2: Wayne McDonnell Fourth Official: Ben Connolly
First Qualifying Round: FK Mladost Podgorica v FC Gandzasar – June 29 Referee: Paul McLaughlin Assistant 1: Emmet Dynan Assistant 2: Darragh Keegan Fourth Official: Ray Matthews
First Qualifying Round: FC Zaria Balti v KF Sarajevo – June 29 Referee Observer: John Ward
First Qualifying Round: Valur Reykjavik v FK Ventspils – July 6 Referee: Robert Harvey Assistant 1: Mark Gavin Assistant 2: Darren Carey Fourth Official: Robert Rogers
Second Qualifying Round: Valur Reykjavik v NK Domzale – July 13 Referee Observer: John Ward
Third Qualifying Round: FK Trakai v KF Shkendija – July 27 Referee: Neil Doyle Assistant 1: Emmet Dynan Assistant 2: Dermot Broughton Fourth Official: Robert Harvey
Third Qualifying Round: AEL Limassol v FK Austria Wien – August 2 Referee Observer: John Ward
Play-Off, First Leg: NK Osijek v FK Austria Wien – August 17 Referee Observer: Pat Kelly
Group Stage: Athletic Bilbao v FC Zorya – September 28 Referee Observer: Pat Kelly
Group Stage: Partizan v Skenderbeu – November 2 Referee Observer: John Ward
Group Stage: FC Vardar v Rosenborg BK – December 7 Referee Observer: Gerard Perry
UEFA Youth League
Group Stage: Chelsea v Qarabag – September 12 Referee: Robert Hennessy Assistant 1: Darragh Keegan Assistant 2: Darren Carey
Group Stage: Celtic v PSG – September 12 Referee Observer: Eddie Foley
Group Stage: Manchester United v FC Basel – September 12 Referee Observer: Pat Kelly
Group Stage: Tottenham Hotspur v Borussia Dortmund – September 13 Referee Observer: Gerard Perry
Round 1: UCD v Molde FK – September 27 Fourth Official: Bernard Connolly Referee Observer: John Ward
Group Stage: Barcelona v Olympiacos – October 18 Referee: Robert Harvey Assistant 1: Darragh Keegan Assistant 2: Shane O’Brien
Group Stage: Chelsea v AS Roma – October 18 Referee Observer: John Ward
Group Stage: Sporting CP v Juventus – October 31 Referee Observer: Edward Foley
Group Stage: Liverpool v NK Maribor – November 1 Referee Observer: Gerard Perry
Group Stage: Sporting CP v Olympiacos – November 22 Referee: Neil Doyle Assistant 1: Robert Clarke Assistant 2: Eoin Harte
Group Stage: Tottenham Hotspur v Apoel FC – December 6 Referee Observer: Edward Foley
UEFA Under-17 European Championship Qualifiers
Group 8: FYR Macedonia – October 1-9 Referee: Robert Hennessy Assistant Referee: Darren Carey
Group 6: Belarus – October 18-26 Referee Observer: Gerard Perry
UEFA Women’s Under-17 European Championship Qualifiers
Latvia – October 13-21 Referee Observer: Hilda McDermott
UEFA Under-19 European Championship Qualifiers
Group 6: Austria – October 2-10 Referee Observer: Eddie Foley
Republic of Ireland – October 3-11 Assistant Referee: Shane O’Brien Fourth Official: Eoghan O’Shea
Group 8: Bulgaria – November 7-15 Referee: Paul McLaughlin Assistant Referee: Darragh Keegan
UEFA Under-21 European Championship Qualifier
Iceland v Albania – September 4 Referee: Paul McLaughlin Assistant 1: Allen Lynch Assistant 2: Mark Gavin Fourth Official: Robert Hennessy
Bulgaria v Luxembourg – September 5 Referee Observer: Gerard Perry
Belgium v Sweden – October 6 Referee Observer: Pat Kelly
Serbia v Russia – October 10 Referee Observer: Gerard Perry
Moldova v Czech Republic – November 14 Referee: Robert Hennessy Assistant 1: Emmet Dynan Assistant 2: Mark Gavin Fourth Official: Derek Tomney
Macedonia v Austria – November 14 Referee Observer: Edward Foley
UEFA Women’s Champions League
Group 9: Montenegro – August 22-28 Referee: Paula Brady Assistant Referee: Emma Cleary
Group 8: Hungary – August 22-28 Referee Observer: Hilda McDermott
Round of 32: ZFK Minsk v SK Slavia Praha – October 4 Referee Observer: Hilda McDermott
Round of 16: Fiorentina WFC v Wolfsburg – November 8 Referee Observer: Hilda McDermott
UEFA 2017 Women’s European Championships
Group A: Norway v Belgium – July 20 Assistant Referee: Michelle O’Neill
Group B: Russia v Germany – July 25 Assistant Referee: Michelle O’Neill
2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup Qualifier
Belarus v Albania – September 19 Referee: Paula Brady Assistant 1: Michelle O’Neill Assistant 2: Olivia Sneyd
Belgium v Moldova – September 19 Referee Observer: Hilda McDermott
Croatia v Denmark – October 24 Assistant 1: Michelle O’Neill Assistant 2: Olivia Sneyd
Hungary v Ukraine – November 24 Referee: Paula Brady Assistant 1: Michelle O’Neill Assistant 2: Olivia Sneyd
2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifier
Belgium v Gibraltar – August 30 Referee: Neil Doyle Assistant 1: Robert Clarke Assistant 2: Wayne McDonnell Fourth Official: Robert Harvey
Faroe Islands v Andorra – September 3 Referee Observer: Eddie Foley
Andorra v Portugal – October 7 Referee Observer: John Ward
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