MIAMI (Thursday, December 11, 2014) — The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) announced today the appointment of Sonia Denoncourt as Director of Refereeing. In her role, Denoncourt will lead all aspects of refereeing within the Confederation, which also involves directing the functions of the Heads of Refereeing in the Central American Football Union (UNCAF) and the Caribbean Football Union (CFU).

“Ms. Denoncourt not only brings a vast global knowledge of the refereeing arena, but also a solid vision to gear, advance and professionalize the region,” said CONCACAF President Jeffrey Webb. “Refereeing has an extremely important role within the game. We are confident that her guidance will reinforce education and training, overcoming the intrinsic challenges of this fundamental position.”

Evaluating and elevating performances of referees in the region is an important objective on the CONCACAF agenda. Denoncourt will be key in the implementation of a performance-based plan that supports referee development at multiple levels by providing them with exceptional training, identifying opportunities for growth and, ultimately, promoting them to FIFA status.

Denoncourt’s extensive experience includes serving as FIFA’s Head of Women’s Referee Development and Refereeing Senior Manager. Prior to joining FIFA in 2005, she was the Director of Referee Development for the Canadian Soccer Association (2001-05). In 1994, Denoncourt made history by becoming the first female referee to obtain a FIFA international badge. She later became the first woman to referee men’s first division matches in El Salvador and Brazil.

“It’s an honor and privilege to be in this position to help raise the level of professionalism in the region,” said Denoncourt. “There is a lot of potential in CONCACAF, and we need to provide more support to all 41 Member Associations in order to build a stronger structure leading to improved performance on the field.”

Throughout her career, Denoncourt has received numerous accolades, among them the Quebec Soccer Federation’s Referee of the Year award on five separate occasions: 1993, 1996, 1997, 1999 and 2000. She has also been inducted into the Quebec Soccer and Canadian Soccer Halls of Fame, and was named as honorary and life member of the Canadian Soccer Association.

Denoncourt has been part of many football committees, including the FIFA Task Force and, most recently, was appointed as the first female member of the IFAB (The International Football Association Board) Technical Advisory Panel.

IMAGE: conmebol.com

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Shortlists announced for Second-Annual CONCACAF Awards

Top Performers from Across the Confederation to Be Honored; Web Voting in Fan and Journalist Categories Underway

Miami (Thursday, December 11, 2014) – The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) announced today the short lists and the opening of journalist and fan voting for the second-annual CONCACAF Awards, to honor the year’s stand-out performers and achievements from across Confederation events.

The awards, which will be presented for the second time in 2014, have been designed to recognize the top players, coaches and referees in women’s and men’s events from the CONCACAF region.

The CONCACAF Awards honor players and achievements in CONCACAF-sanctioned tournaments and competitions involving the Confederation’s national teams at all levels, including FIFA World Cups and World Cup qualifying for both genders, in all age categories. Performances also eligible for recognition include those achieved in professional club football leagues under CONCACAF’s stewardship in North America, Central America and the Caribbean, as well as the CONCACAF Champions League.

Players, coaches and referees of any nationality are eligible to be nominated, so long as they meet at least one of the following criteria:

Have played/coached/refereed in an official CONCACAF tournament at club or national team level OR

Have played/coached/refereed for a CONCACAF member national team in a FIFA-sanctioned international competition OR

Have played/coached/refereed in a domestic league within CONCACAF’s territory:

A player/coach/referee from the CONCACAF region, who does not meet the above criteria (i.e. a player whose only performances in the past year came in a European or Asian league etc.), would not be eligible;

Goal of the Year applies only to goals scored during CONCACAF or FIFA official competitions or a league game disputed within the CONCACAF region;

Voters should base their judgments solely on performances in the above categorized competitions from January 1, 2014 to present.

This year’s award categories once again include Male and Female Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, Goalkeeper of the Year, Referee of the Year, and Goal of the Year. In each category, a list of 10 nominees has already been determined through voting of Technical Directors from each of CONCACAF’s 41 Member Associations and the CONCACAF Technical Study Group, which analyzes tactics and rates performances at all official CONCACAF tournaments.

The lists have now been submitted for final voting among three important stake-holding segments of the Confederation: Member Associations’ men’s and women’s national team coaches and captains, media and fans. The national team coaches and captains from across the Confederation will account for one third of the final vote, and accredited members of CONCACAF’s media circle will contribute another third of the tally. Fans from around the region and the world are invited to vote online for the final one-third segment of the vote.

Fans can have their say in the voting by visiting the fan voting page on www.CONCACAF.com, available here. Voting is open through 5:00 PM EST, Friday, December 19, 2014. Final votes in each of the six categories will be tallied and the winners announced by the end of the year, via www.CONCACAF.com