Una's honour

There was a proud moment for Loughborough student and referee Hong Eun-ah last week when she was crowned as the best female referee in Asia, thanks to her outstanding performances with the whistle in 2009.

Affectionately known as 'Una' in this country, she originally comes from the Korea Republic but has been studying at Loughborough over the last few years and has continued her referee development on these shores and is well known within the referee fraternity in the East Midlands. 

After beating Australia’s Jacqui Melksham and Pannipar Kamnueng of Thailand, for the award, Hong said: “I am so happy to be here today for this award. 

“I would like to thank my university for helping me achieve my goals and my family. I didn't expect to receive such an award.”

The success of a match is often dictated by the performance of the referee. and the Asian Football Confederation Referee of the Year Award for women is based on the points awarded for performances in each match. These points are collated and compared in a structured system before a winner is finally decided.

Una took on some challenging matches in 2009, either as a referee of fourth officials in the AFC U19 Women’s Championship in China or AFC Women’s Asian Cup qualifying games. She performed admirably in all her roles, garnering deserved points for her victorious campaign.