Michelle O’Neill Announced As First Irish Female Referee To Officiate At FIFA World Cup

“It’s such an honour to be appointed for such a prestigious event.” Irish referee Michelle O’Neill has this week been confirmed as one of 44 assistant referees to be appointed for this year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup. The news that O’Neill will be officiating at the competition, which takes place in Canada this summer, was confirmed by the FIFA Referees Committee. O’Neill, who hails from Wexford, is well-known in Irish sporting circles as she is an assistant in the SSE Airtricity League along with refereeing in the FAI Continental Tyres Women’s National League. She impressed during a tough selection process and will also be in Malta next week to officiate the UEFA Women’s European Championships Preliminary Round tournament. “I’m absolutely delighted to have been invited to officiate at the FIFA Women’s World Cup,” she said. “It’s such an honour to be appointed for such a prestigious event.” “It was a great feeling when I received an email on Friday confirming that I was on the panel. I’ll be looking now to keep myself as fit as I can be, stay as sharp as possible in terms of speed work and being mentally prepared.” O’Neill is just the second Irish official to secure an appointment for a FIFA World Cup following Eddie Foley in the 1998 World Cup in France. “I’m the first Irish female referee to get a tournament and only second after Eddie Foley,” she said. “Eddie has been advising me to keep doing what I’m doing, staying focused and keep proving why I’m there. “Overall I see this as a major honour for me, my county, the referees here in Ireland and I must mention that my employers at Wexford Swimming Pool and my family have all been fantastic support for me.”