The Tribune

By TENAJH SWEETING

tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

Annisa Albury was the first Bahamian woman to be confirmed as a referee for the 2023 Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association (CONCACAF) Beach Soccer Pre-World Cup.

She was selected along with 19 other referees as they determined which two teams booked their tickets to the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup scheduled for November 16 to 26 in Dubai. Ultimately, the United States of America and Mexico will make their journey to November’s soccer showdown.

After playing an integral role in the 2023 CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championships, Albury talked about how it felt to be the first ever Bahamian woman selected to referee among her counterparts.

She said the feeling was quite surreal to say the least as she is still coming down from the high of being selected not only as the first woman but also as a Bahamian woman.

With Albury being tasked with refereeing such major and definitive games, she did not shy away from the opportunity. Although the decision came as a surprise to her, the Bahamas Football Association (BFA) made the decision to recommend her as soon as the 2023 CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championships were confirmed to take place in New Providence. Nonetheless, Albury had been preparing for an opportunity of this magnitude for a while.

“I have been working towards this for a while. I have been refereeing games in the [United] States and then I also have done some international friendlies. When I found out the tournament was here, I definitely was surprised when they put my name forward,” the referee said.

Albury not only attributed her newest accomplishment to her preparedness but was grateful to come up under the tutelage of her mentor Wilson Da Costa and also Luiz Escober who helped her to develop a love for the sport on a national level in 2019 which led to her learning how to referee shortly after. “I felt really prepared. I have had a great mentor who is also a FIFA beach soccer instructor, it felt amazing to play such a key role in determining the teams that went to the World Cup, but because of my experience refereeing already and such a great mentor, I felt prepared,” she said.

At a loss for words, the Bahamian referee was simply thankful to the CONCACAF for the way they treated her before and during the 2023 Beach Soccer Championships.

The 28 referees and instructors, which only included one woman, had to undergo a five-day beach soccer seminar where they reviewed the game, its laws and underwent physical training to prepare for the championships.

Albury described it as the best week and-a-half she has ever experienced.

Despite having the challenge of refereeing the championships, she was simultaneously fulfilling her duties as a coach at Lyford Cay International school, coach of the Renegades Football Club, and role model to the girls.

She noted that one of the main reasons she became a coach was to be a positive example for younger girls in life or in sports.

The “Jill of many trades” coached her girls’ team through their championship games in the same week she was refereeing the 2023 Beach Soccer Championships. “I think that it’s great to break barriers for other girls but honestly I wanted to be a positive role model for them to let them know they can achieve anything they put their mind to,” she said.

Albury thanked head of the referee academy Dianne James, her mentor William Da Costa, her former coach Luiz Escobar, and the BFA for the opportunities they have afforded her.

Overall, she felt the experience was a great one to have as she was able to learn from the other instructors, referees and will now look forward to the next competition.