Anna Harris spent over a decade on the sidelines of football and futsal as a mum and wife before picking up the whistle — something that only happened because of an emergency.

"I remember one Friday night around 10:30, one of the refs texted and cancelled," Harris recalls. "It was before we had Mercury Arena in Tauranga, so we had five or six venues operating, and we needed a manager and referee at each one. Cliff just said 'you'll have to do it.'"

"I said I've never done it before. He just told me I had to manage until the next referee showed up. He showed me the basics. I was so nervous."

Her husband Cliff Harris leads futsal development in WaiBOP, and her son Olly was heavily involved as a player. Daughter Violet was still young at the time.

Despite her nerves, Harris had absorbed far more knowledge than she realised. After completing a futsal refereeing course, she started refereeing regularly.

Then she built up the courage to start refereeing junior and youth football. 

“I looked around at all these Dads, some of them refereeing with gumboots or jandals on, and thought ‘I could do this’."

Son Olly and her husband Cliff encouraged and supported her: Olly said "Oh my God, mum, you so can, and you’ll be great"

Eight years later, Anna regularly referees in the NRFL Women's Championship and National Girls Youth League during winter. Summer sees her focusing on futsal competitions and referring in Ford Futsal Super league.

Anna coaching at Wahine Toa, 2024

For two years, she has also run the Tauranga Referee Academy, a free programme for youth referees.

"What I love about the Academy is that it's bigger than just refereeing, it's a place for youth to come and have support. They might have other things going on in life, and I like to think the academy is a safe place with friends. It gives them a goal to work towards and something to look forward to each week."

"Refereeing has been really helpful for my confidence and personal growth," she reflects. "I like sharing that with youth and anyone who wants to get involved, I hope it can help them grow as people on and off the pitch."

In addition to running the Youth Referee Academy in Tauranga, Anna works alongside Natalie Broadhead to support the growth of female football across the Waikato and Bay of Plenty.

Article added: Thursday 20 March 2025