The 2023 CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football) Beach Soccer Championships is in the books, and it was a historic run for The Bahamas' side which placed fourth overall. History was not only made in competition as the tournament was also historic for Bahamian Annisa Albury who served as a referee during the tournament that concluded on Sunday at the Malcolm Park Beach Soccer Stadium here in Nassau, The Bahamas.
At the tournament, Albury was the only Bahamian and only female referee officiating. In fact, she is the first woman and first Bahamian to officiate at the tournament in its history. Albury said they had an elite beach soccer referee seminar leading up to the tournament and she was one of 19 referees selected.
"I am still coming down from the high of it because it was such an amazing experience," Albury said. "I got to referee the group stages and quarterfinals. I did not get to referee in the semifinals, third place game or final because of The Bahamas' involvement, but it was a great experience. I never got to play at home so to be at home and see people who I knew in the crowd cheering me on from across the stadium was a good feeling. When our players saw me, they were proud and congratulated me and that was surreal. It didn't seem big because I was working so hard behind the scenes for so long. It seems like a big deal and when you get there and see everybody, they are so excited for you. It is just amazing. I cannot put it into words."
Albury's role in all seven games that she refereed in was to be the fourth referee. The fourth referee's main roles are to keep track of the time and to record goals, fouls and cards if issued. Albury said she is qualified to go on the pitch and referee games, but because it was a world cup qualifier, she did not go on the field.
"I never sat down for any game. My job is important because every time a goal is scored and every time there is a foul, you must stop the clock immediately. If the score or clock does not work, I was keeping time on two other devices so that we can make sure that the game flows as it should, and the matches are up to FIFA (International Association Football Federation) and CONCACAF standards," Albury said.
The teams that played when she was the referee were Panama, Trinidad and Tobago, the United States, the Dominican Republic, the Turks and Caicos Islands, Costa Rica, El Salvador and Guadeloupe. She refereed in the United States against Costa Rica quarterfinal match.
The 29-year-old's journey in beach soccer started in 2019 when she was recruited to the women's national team by then head coach Luis Escobar. He helped foster the love and enjoyment for the sport for her. After she stopped playing, Wilson DaCosta, who is a beach soccer instructor at CONCACAF, got her into refereeing. The head of the referee academy here is Dianne James. Albury fell in love with it and shortly afterwards, she got to referee in a friendly match between The Bahamas and Lithuania. It was history from then for Albury.
She is a teacher by profession, at the Lyford Cay International School, where she also coaches the girls' soccer team. Albury is happy that the school facilitated her time off so she can be a part of history in the sport. She is also grateful to CONCACAF and the Bahamas Football Association (BFA) for the opportunity. One of her biggest goals is to empower girls and people who love the sport of football.
"There is a group of women who are training to become beach soccer referees. My goal is even if it is refereeing, we need to get the girls involved in some type of football whether it is grass, beach or refereeing or coaching. Once you stop playing you are not done. There are other avenues that you can follow. It is a big thing to just let people know that when you work hard enough, even when you do not have the support, that it is possible," Albury said.
Albury is looking to get on the FIFA referee list to get her name out there, coach in tournaments and hopefully be available if there is a women's beach soccer world cup tournament in the future.
The United States of America (USA) took down Mexico, 5-0, in the championship game of the 2023 CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championships. Both teams will represent the CONCACAF region at the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) in November of this year.
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