SUFFOLK official Abi Byrne is hoping her participation at the FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup will be a springboard to future tournaments.

Abi refereed three games and was fourth official for another at the tournament which ended in the Dominican Republic on Sunday.

The 32-year-old, who lives near Mildenhall, was the only match official from England to be chosen among the 38 selected for the tournament.

She refereed the Dominican Republic versus Ecuador and Brazil versus Japan group games as well as being the fourth official for the Dominican Republic versus Nigeria match.

She was then chosen to be the referee for the quarter-final tie between North Korea and Poland.

Abi said: “My highlight of the tournament was refereeing the Dominican Republic's first game, which followed the opening ceremony on the pitch. They were hosting their first ever FIFA tournament and made it a real occasion.

“There was a proper Caribbean party atmosphere to kick off the tournament with music, dancing, fireworks, vuvuzelas and lots of colour! Walking out for that game was a whirlwind and a completely different experience to anything I've seen before.

“Reaching the knock-out phase is always the target of every referee, so another highlight was being trusted with a quarter-final between (eventual winners) North Korea and Nigeria.

Abi Byrne (second right) walks on to the pitch ahead of the Japan versus Brazil group game at the FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup. Main photograph: Abi (sky blue shirt, second left) walks out ahead of the North Korea versus Poland quarter-final tie.

“Unfortunately for me, England got through to the semi-finals which eliminated my chances of further progression, but I thoroughly enjoyed my time out there.”

Abi said the experience was unlike any other she had been involved in.

“I can't compare the tournament to anything I've done previously. From the moment I arrived, it was an intense environment where FIFA demanded high standards from us in all aspects.

“We trained in the 30-degree sun for three hours every morning, followed by four hours technical session indoors. The games were hot, humid and generally very entertaining.

“The atmosphere at the Dominican Republic games was an honour to be a part of.

“Hopefully this experience will be a springboard for future tournaments, giving me the tools to perform at the highest level I can,” she added.

Abi and her fellow match officials trialled a new VAR system similar to that used in tennis at Wimbledon.

She said: “During the tournament they trialled a new VAR system called Football Video Support, which allowed the teams to have two requests each to challenge match-changing decisions.

“After a request, the match referee would review the replays on a screen behind the fourth official, and then announce their final decision to the stadium over the loudspeaker.

“This was an interesting trial to be a part of and took a lot of practice on the training pitch in the build-up to the tournament.”

If you are interested in becoming a referee, please contact Suffolk FA Referee Development Officer Ben Bowles on 07890 587228 or email Benjamin.bowles@suffolkfa.com