The Kanga Cup saw 355 teams descend on Canberra for the 2024 edition of the tournament with thirty-five Grand Final winners crowned on a wonderful Friday of football at Southwell Park. However, it wasn’t just the players catching the eye as our tournament officials also did a sterling job.

One of the many referees who gave up their time to officiate the tournament was referee Joseph Scarfo, a man of many years’ of experience taking charge of matches, passing on his knowledge to the next generation, and a familiar face on the local scene.

“I’ve done National Premier League and Capital Premier League games for my local team Yoogali SC when they play in Griffith,” Scarfo said. “If I can hone my skills and get a bit of a coaching and be involved in a good quality tournament such as Kanga Cup, that’s what drew me to it.”

Scarfo has been controlling matches since his nascent playing career was cut short due to a succession of injuries, but the lure of the game kept drawing him back and the opportunity to stay involved was key to his decision to take up the whistle.

“What first got me into refereeing was, I used to play as a junior, went through two years undefeated with a team back home,” Scarfo revealed. “I went to the doctors one day and he said would you like two new knees or give up football?

“From there I took a big break and ended up coming back because we had a shortage of referees, so I went and did the course. I’ve been doing this for about six or seven years now. I’ve loved every minute of it, it’s my way of staying in contact with the game that I love.

“What I love most is the game itself, the meeting of new people. Going to places that I’ve never been too before.”

The Kanga Cup certainly can provide these memories for participants and Scarfo has enjoyed every minute of his week in Canberra, helping to keep the games flowing, and getting a first-hand view of the joy, and occasional sadness, that tournament football can bring.

“We don’t usually get positive feedback from coaches and parents, but a lot have come up my way at the end of the game to say that was a really good game and you talk to them well,” the referee commented.

“It is a junior development tournament, we’re developing the kids, you can’t be too harsh on them. You just talk them out of silly fouls, I’d rather talk on the run rather than constantly blow my whistle. If I can do that, that’s me giving back to the sport.

“I hope the common approach that I bring to refereeing has had the coaches and spectators react in a positive manner.

“The biggest thing from this week was Unanderra Hearts presenting me with their home jersey because they thought I did such a good game. I was humbled by that. It’s been a great event, a great experience.”

Keep an eye out on the Kanga Cup website and socials for details on how you can become a match official at the 2025 tournament or reach out to our friendly staff at info@kangacup.com.