The Football Association of Malawi (FAM) is conducting a two-day Special Female Referees Course in Salima from 10 to 11 September 2026 as part of efforts to promote gender inclusivity in football refereeing.
The course is aimed at empowering more women to take up refereeing roles and strengthen their capacity to officiate matches at different levels of the game.
FAM Referees Sub-Committee Chairperson Patrick Kapanga said the course is important as the Association continues to invest in women’s football development in line with FAM President Fleetwood Haiya’s Women’s Football Project.
“This course is very important because the Scorchers qualified for WAFCON, and these are the referees who handle almost 80 percent of their games at local level,” said Kapanga.
Kapanga urged the participants to remain disciplined and protect their integrity if they are to progress to higher levels of refereeing.
“Discipline is the first weapon for you to achieve something. For our girls to reach levels such as FIFA refereeing, they need to be disciplined,” he said.
“Discipline comes in many ways. Socially, they have to control themselves and make sure they do not go against the norms or code of conduct. At the same time, they have to protect their integrity and know what to do and what not to do as referees.”
Kapanga said FAM wants to see more female referees officiating at international tournaments in future.
“We want to see these referees progressing, and we hope that almost 60 percent of them will one day officiate at international tournaments,” he said.
One of the participants, Beckry Rajabu from Mzuzu University, said the course will open more opportunities for female referees.
“This course is crucial because it will open more doors for us as women. The Scorchers have already opened doors for us, and we also want to reach FIFA level,” said Rajabu.
“We will gain more experience, more exposure and be able to promote fair play out there,” she added.
The course has brought together 23 participants from all regions of the country and forms part of FAM’s transformation agenda aimed at promoting women’s football and strengthening refereeing structures in Malawi.