Northern NSW Football is pleased to announce Blake Penhey as Football Far North Coast’s Newcastle Permanent Referee of the Year for 2020.
Penhey officiates matches for Football Far North Coast and has shown true dedication and passion for the game giving players, coaches and spectators the best experience possible.
Penhey is now a senior referee with Football Far North Coast, having started as a junior and progressed through the ranks.
His commitment to officiating reflects his skills that have seen Penhey identified to attend TOP camps in previous years. He is a valued match official at Football Far North Coast thanks to his calm manner.
Despite moving to Queensland to study this year Penhey continues to make a contribution to local football in Football Far North Coast by returning to referee games each weekend while following all COVID-19 guidelines.
Northern NSW Football Head of Football Development Peter Haynes said NNSWF were delighted to be able to recognise Penhey’s contribution.
“Blake’s contribution to the game through his role as a Match Official has been wonderful,” Haynes said.
“Referees are vital to the enjoyment of the game by players, coaches and spectators alike and Blake has shown that he takes this responsibility very seriously. I congratulate Blake on his award on behalf of NNSWF and all players, coaches and spectators across the state.”
Newcastle Permanent Ballina Branch Lending Manager David Parker congratulated Penhey on becoming the recipient of the Newcastle Permanent Referee of the Year award for Football Far North Coast.
“Through Newcastle Permanent’s Community Football Awards we recognise the important role referees play in creating fair play and respect on the field,” Parker said.
“Our thanks to all the referees across northern NSW for their contributions to the game and congratulations to this year’s winner.”
As the winner of their Zone’s Referee of the Year award, Penhey is now a nominee for Northern NSW Football’s Annual Newcastle Permanent Referee of the Year award to be announced during the week commencing 26 October.
About NNSWF’s Community Partnership with Newcastle Permanent:
Newcastle Permanent is the major partner of Community Football across northern NSW and has partnered with NNSWF since 2008, supporting the High-Performance Program and Junior Football Program.
Newcastle Permanent’s investment in football is one of its most important community partnerships and reflects the financial institution’s commitment to supporting the local community.
Integral to the Newcastle Permanent Community Football partnership is recognition of volunteers, coaches, referees and others on the ground who play a vital role in delivering the game across northern NSW.
The Community Partnership with Newcastle Permanent includes recognition programs such as Newcastle Permanent Volunteer of the Month, Newcastle Permanent Community Coach of the Month, Newcastle Permanent Referee of the Month, Newcastle Permanent Community Club of the Year, training tools for community coaches and volunteers, as well as the distribution of more than 10,000 free footballs to young players each year.
