The Fiji Times

Milestone for Shama and the Solomons

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APASSION for sport has turned into a dream come true for Solomon Islands football referee Shama Maemae.

The 29-year-old from Fataleka in Malaita Province created history by becoming the first female Solomon Islander to be awarded a FIFA badge as a centre referee. Maemae is one of seven Solomon Islanders to receive FIFA accreditat­ion this year.

Her achievemen­t, as well as her resilience and determinat­ion, have been widely praised in Solomons, where women continue to face challenges as they try to establish a foothold in traditiona­lly male-dominated sports and careers.

“It was not an easy journey,” Maemae said.

“I’ve faced criticisms doing what I do, but what kept me going was taking those criticisms and turning them into lessons.

This pushed me to work even harder.

“I am beyond happy and thankful for getting this achievemen­t. To know that my hard work has paid off is rewarding.”

Maemae’s life-changing decisionMa­emae’s journey to becoming a referee started in high school, where she loved playing sports, especially football and athletics.

She was introduced to refereeing in 2014 when another Solomon Islands referee spotted her potential.

Maemae said her decision to attend referee training with the support of her family changed her life.

“I agreed straight away to attend training, and although it was something completely new to me, I was willing to learn,” she said.”

I started my days at 5am as I was juggling school, work, and training at the same time.”It was tiring, and I never really had much rest. Eventually, I decided to focus full-time on refereeing.

“It was a tough decision but one that I was committed to work towards.”

Earning the FIFA badge

In 2017, Maemae officiated in her first-ever internatio­nal match as an Assistant referee for the Oceania Football Confederat­ion (OFC) Women’s U17 World Cup Qualifiers in Apia, Samoa. She then officiated at the Women’s Nation Cup in New Caledonia in 2018 before switching to centre referee in 2019 at the OFC U-19 Women’s Championsh­ip in the Cook Islands.

Since then, she has developed an impressive resume, officiatin­g at tournament­s in Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Tahiti, and the recent Pacific Games in Honiara.

“With all the internatio­nal matches that I officiated, it was a step further from refereeing in local leagues at home,” Maemae said.

“So not only did it give me experience, but I did my best, worked hard, and I believe it was the assessment­s from the job done in these matches that earned me the FIFA Badge.

I’ve faced criticisms doing what I do, but what kept me going was taking those criticisms and turning them into lessons

“While I am humbled and grateful for this achievemen­t, I see this as another step in my career with more room for improvemen­t. Now my aim is to work harder so that I can achieve more goals such as officiatin­g in any World Cup matches.

“Mamae also thanked those who supported her career, dedicating her achievemen­t to her family and acknowledg­ing her colleagues for their continuous support.

‘Courage and commitment’

Next month, she will head to the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament – Oceania Qualifier in Samoa, where she will be officiatin­g for the first time as a FIFAbadged centre referee.

She’s looking forward to the tournament and said she would do her best to show that she deserved to be accredited with a

FIFA Badge

Maemae encouraged more women and girls to consider refereeing as a career.

“All it takes is courage and commitment. Do not worry about the criticisms or the negativiti­es. These are what makes you strong.”

– Shama Maemae

 ?? Picture: (Image: Oceania Football Confederat­ion) ?? Maemae’s achievemen­t and determinat­ion have been widely praised in the Solomons.
Picture: (Image: Oceania Football Confederat­ion) Maemae’s achievemen­t and determinat­ion have been widely praised in the Solomons.
 ?? Picture: (Image: Oceania Football Confederat­ion) ?? A passion for sport has become a dream come true Shama Maemae.
Picture: (Image: Oceania Football Confederat­ion) A passion for sport has become a dream come true Shama Maemae.

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