Referees ready to shine at the 2025 National Championships in St. John’s

As Canada’s top amateur clubs prepare to compete at the 2025 National Championships in St. John’s, another team is gearing up for an equally important role: the referees. 

This year’s adult will feature a group of 35 referees, offering a tremendous development opportunity on the national stage. Among them are 18 match officials appointed by Canada Soccer, including 10 women, demonstrating Canada Soccer’s ongoing commitment to advancing women’s refereeing through its growing Women’s Program and the expanded Northern Super League pathway. 

Supporting the referees will be a strong leadership group of assessors plus the Supervisor of Officials Bob Sawtell. Canada Soccer Referee Department staff will also be represented by Isaac Raymond and Michael Tucker, ensuring consistency in development and support. 

The referee lineup at St. John’s 2025 includes Nicolas Melita and Lilian Ryu, who last year officiated the Final Matches at the U-17 Cup in Cape Breton. Several referees who were part of the adult National Championships in Surrey last year will also be stepping into new roles, highlighting their steady progression within the referee pathway. For the second year in a row, two referees from the Bermuda Football Association will also be appointed to the competition.  

For many of these officials, the National Championships serve as an important stepping stone toward higher-level appointments, both within Canada and on the international stage. 

Canada Soccer’s National Championships serve as the pinnacle event to the 2025 season, bringing together the best amateur clubs from across the country. As Canada’s most accessible sport, more than 1,100 teams took part in competitive leagues and cup competitions on the road to the 2025 National Championships in the adult, U-17 and U-15 divisions. 

2025 National Championships – national referees

Al Khafagi, Hassan
Almasri, Najeeb
Blanchet, Emma
Burke, Alyssa
Carrillo, Miguel
Fazazi, Reda
Fournier, Catherine
Kandola, Jung
Konyer, Charlie
MacKinnon, Emily
Martin, Allie
McNicholas, Laura
Melita, Nicolas
Montminy, Elizabeth
Rajabi, Nava
Ryu, Lillian
Sen, Mehmet
Tremblay, Liam
Hayward, Clinton (BER)
Amaury Majors (BER)

2025 National Championships – local referees

Brake, Jeremy
Churchill, John
Comerford, Rob
Elsayed, Mahmoud
Farrell, Gordon
Hrebenko, Danylo
King, Megan
Mulcahy-Murphy, Jaden
Oake, Nick
Odhan, Taha
Russell, Brian
Skinner, Michael
Tobin, Shannon
Wall, Ian
Warren, Don