W-League grand final provides women referees a step on the road to the Women’s World Cup

As the 2020/21 W-League season reaches its conclusion, thoughts are now turning to Australia’s preparations for some of football’s biggest upcoming tournaments: the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, the 2022 Asian Cup, the 2023 Women’s World Cup and the 2024 Paris Olympics.

But Australia’s top women players aren’t the only ones hoping to step out onto the grass in Japan, India, Australia/New Zealand and France over the next four years.

The country’s best women referees have also been using the W-League as a platform to be noticed by football’s governing bodies as they aspire to officiate at the very same tournaments.

On Wednesday, it was announced that all six of the referees for this Sunday’s W-League grand final would be women, with Rebecca Durcau…