Football SA NPL Match Official Daniel Goodwin will join an exclusive club this evening, when he referees his 100th National Premier Leagues SA Senior fixture between Croydon Kings and Adelaide Blue Eagles at Jack Smith Park.
In bringing up a century of NPL SA Senior matches refereed, Daniel becomes only the fourth person in SA to achieve this milestone - following David Alberton (2017), Gary Mooney (2018) & Christian Verdicchio (2018).
Daniel began refereeing in 2000 and controlled his first top-flight fixture in 2008. A veteran of over 200 Senior matches in SA, he refereed consecutive First Division Grand Finals in 2012 and 2013, and the FFA Cup SA Qualifying Final in 2017.
Daniel is a former Assistant Referee on the Hyundai A-League, having run the line on the national competition for six seasons. He is currently a Referee Assessor for Football Federation Australia, coaching match officials on the A-League, W-League and Y-League.
When asked to reflect on reaching this milestone, Daniel said
“I feel privileged to have been able to be involved in SA’s top competition for such a long period - seeing many great players start and finish their careers. I look forward to continuing to be involved on-field after an extended period away with injury, which challenged my love for the game. However, now I am injury-free I am looking to continue to push as far as I can once again.”
Football SA State Referee Chair Rick Schneider said
“Daniel’s longevity and the respect he is held in by the clubs is a testament to his abilities as a referee. Daniel is a respected member of our senior group and his abilities both as a referee, but also as a coach for developing match officials, is valued by all referees.”