Football Australia proudly announced the induction of Jenny Bray into the Football Australia Hall of Fame at the CommBank Matildas’ match against Brazil at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium on the 28th of November.

A trailblazer for women match officials, Jenny Bray has been recognised for her exceptional contributions to Australian football, joining an esteemed list of Australian football identities in the Football Australia Hall of Fame.

Jenny was nominated to be inducted into the Football Australia Hall of Fame Class of 2024 via a public process, with the nominees then considered by a panel of Australian football historians. The panel of historians provided their recommendations to the Football Australia Board, with Football Australia’s Directors subsequently ratifying each person’s elevation into the Football Australia Hall of Fame.

Football Australia Chair, Anter Isaac, said: “It is with immense pride that we celebrate the induction of four outstanding individuals into the Football Australia Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame honours those who have made exceptional contributions to our game, and this year’s inductees – Jenny Bray, Craig Foster AM, Ian Holmes, and the late Alex Pongrass AM – are remarkable figures whose legacies on Australian football will endure for generations.

“Each of these honourees has left a lasting mark on the sport. Jenny Bray has not only broken new ground for women in refereeing, but she has also dedicated herself to mentoring future generations of officials, both nationally and internationally. Her commitment and leadership have been instrumental in advancing opportunities for female referees in Australia and beyond.”

Since the initial induction of 84 players and participants in 1999, more than 250 male and female players, coaches, referees, administrators, and media representatives have been recognised for their outstanding contributions to our game.

Following the induction, Football Australia Chief Executive Officer, James Johnson said: “The Football Australia Hall of Fame celebrates individuals who have shaped the landscape of Australian football, and this year’s inductees exemplify that spirit of excellence and dedication.”

Jenny Bray has devoted 40 years of her life to refereeing and making refereeing accessible for other women. She set the original path for future Australian women referees through her distinguished career as a national and international referee, helping raise awareness of the calibre of Australia’s women referee talent pool at FIFA, and the Oceania and Asian Football Confederations.

Bray started her refereeing career in 1984 with the St George Association before moving to the NSW state league level. Her hard work and focus on advancement and training saw her appointed Australia’s first female FIFA referee in 1995.

In 1998, she turned her sights to referee coaching and assessing for the national governing body, and in 2000 was awarded an Australian Sports Medal for her contributions to date, despite having a number of years of service ahead.

Bray moved to Malaysia in 2006 to take on a development officer role for the Asian Football Confederation (where Australia had only recently joined) where she mentored and assisted female referees to develop from national to FIFA international standard, some becoming FIFA World Cup referees.

More recently she moved back into a local role as Director of Coaching with the St George Association and continues in her role as an AFC Referee Assessor.

We caught up with Jenny who has this to say upon being inducted into the Hall of Fame “I feel very honoured and want to thank the refereeing family for supporting me on my incredible journey in football. It’s the people that make the game special and create passion to want to be part of our game.”

Congratulations to Jenny once again for a remarkable achievement

 

-ENDS-