Abigail Byrne
{{Short description|English football referee}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox football official
| name = Abigail Byrne
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1992|4|19|df=y}}
| birth_place = Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, England
| death_date =
| death_place =
| otheroccupation = Credit control
| years1 = 2016–2019
| league1 = National League
| role1 = Assistant referee
| years2 = 2016-2022
| league2 = Isthmian League
| role2 = Referee
| years3 = 2017-
| league3 = Women's Super League
| role3 = Referee
| years4 = 2022-
| league4 = National League
| role4 = Referee
| years5 = 2024-
| league5 = English Football League
| role5 = Referee
| internationalyears1 = 2019–
| confederation1 = FIFA listed
| internationalrole1 = Referee
}}
Abigail Byrne (born 19 April 1992) is an English professional football referee from Suffolk working for Professional Game Match Officials Limited. Since 2016, she has officiated primarily in the Women's Super League,{{Cite web |title=Byrne gets Final nod |url=https://womenscompetitions.thefa.com/Article/womens-fa-cup-final-referee-abigail-byrne-180419#:~:text=Byrne%20was%20promoted%20into%20the,added%20to%20the%20FIFA%20list |website=womenscompetitions.thefa.com |quote=Byrne was promoted into the elite level of refereeing in 2015 and has operated in The FA Women’s Super League since 2016. She has refereed 11 FA WSL and FA Women’s Championship matches so far this season and was recently added to the FIFA list.}} as well as for FIFA and UEFA as a FIFA international referee since 2019.{{Cite web |url=https://www.worldfootball.net/referee_summary/abigail-byrne/ |title=Abigail Byrne - Matches as referee |website=worldfootball.net}}
She also officiates in men's professional football on the English Football League and National League.
Domestic Refereeing career
Byrne has been a qualified referee with Suffolk County Football Association since 2011 and was trained by their Referees Academy based at Ipswich Town F.C. She refereed many of her early games on the Bury & District Sunday League. She is a member of the Bury St Edmunds Referees Association{{Cite web|url=https://www.the-ra.org/find-your-lra/bury-st-edmunds|title=The Referees' Association - Bury St Edmunds|website=www.the-ra.org}} and is dual registered with Cambridgeshire County Football Association.{{Cite web |url=https://www.cambridgeshirefa.com/news/2024/may/07/cambridgeshire-fa-referee-to-take-charge-of-adobe-womens-fa-cup-final |title=Cambridgeshire FA referee to take charge of Adobe Women's FA Cup Final |first=The Football |last=Association |website=www.cambridgeshirefa.com}}
She was promoted as a referee through the National League System via the Eastern Counties Football League between 2015-2016, followed by the Isthmian League between 2016-2022, where she was voted Referee of the Year in 2019, and onto the National League in 2022.
Byrne has achieved success domestically in the women's game, officiating in 5 Women's FA Cup Finals at Wembley Stadium; 2019{{Cite web |title=Byrne gets Final nod |url=https://womenscompetitions.thefa.com/Article/womens-fa-cup-final-referee-abigail-byrne-180419 |website=womenscompetitions.thefa.com}}& 2024{{cite web |url=https://www.thefa.com/news/2024/may/01/abi-byrne-to-referee-womens-fa-cup-final-2024-20240105 |title=Abi Byrne to referee Women's FA Cup Final}}as referee, 2017 as Assistant referee{{cite web |url=https://www.thefa.com/news/2017/apr/27/sse-womens-fa-cup-final-birmingham-manchester-city-rebecca-welch-270417 |title=Wembley call for Welch}} and 2020{{Cite web |title=Cup Final officials appointed |url=https://womenscompetitions.thefa.com/Article/match-officials-appointed-for-womens-FA-Cup-Final-221020 |website=womenscompetitions.thefa.com}} & 2023 as Fourth Official.{{Cite web|url=https://www.thefa.com/news/2023/may/03/emily-heaslip-to-referee-vitality-womens-fa-cup-final-2023-20230205#:~:text=Suffolk-based+official+Emily+will,Dennington+as+reserve+assistant+referee|title=Women's Cup Final officials confirmed|first=The Football|last=Association|website=www.thefa.com}} She also took charge of the 2021 FA Women's League Cup final at Vicarage Road.
She was the first female referee to take charge of Soccer Aid, in the 2023 edition at Old Trafford. Usain Bolt and Jill Scott were the respective captains.{{Cite web |url=https://www.cambridgeshirefa.com/news/2023/jun/12/cambridgeshire-referees-make-history-at-soccer-aid |title=Cambridgeshire Referees Make History at Soccer Aid |first=The Football |last=Association |website=www.cambridgeshirefa.com}}
She also became only the third female referee to be appointed to referee a match in the English Football League when she refereed AFC Wimbledon vs Swindon Town F.C. in League 2 on 26 December 2024.
International Refereeing career
Byrne was promoted to the UEFA Category 1 Referees List for 2022.{{Cite web|url=https://www.suffolkfa.com/news/2021/dec/20/major-step-forward-in-her-career-for-abi|title=Major step forward in her career for Abi|first=The Football|last=Association|website=www.suffolkfa.com}}
She was selected to referee at the 2023 UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship in Belgium where she refereed 2 matches.
She went to the 2024 Sud Ladies Cup in Avignon, France for International teams preparing for the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup. She refereed 3 matches including the final between France and Mexico.
In October 2024, she was selected to represent UEFA at the 2024 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup in Dominican Republic where she refereed 3 matches, including the opening game between Dominican Republic and Ecuador, and the quarter final between North Korea and Poland. This tournament was used as a trial for Football video support as an alternative to VAR (Video assistant referee).{{Cite web|url=https://www.suffolkfa.com/news/2024/nov/06/highlights-aplenty-for-suffolk-official|title=Highlights aplenty for Suffolk official|first=The Football|last=Association|website=www.suffolkfa.com}}{{Cite web |url=https://www.suffolknews.co.uk/bury-st-edmunds/sport/suffolk-official-s-pride-at-first-fifa-tournament-selection-9385438/ |title=Suffolk official's pride at first FIFA tournament selection |date=1 October 2024 |website=Suffolk News}}
Personal life
Byrne was educated at Mildenhall College Academy in Mildenhall, Suffolk{{Cite web |title=Mildenhall College Academy NEWSLETTER October 2019 |url=https://mildenhall.academytransformation.club/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/09/October-Newsletter-2019.pdf |website=mildenhall.academytransformation.club}}in the same year group as English international Cricketer Tymal Mills.{{Cite web |url=https://www.suffolknews.co.uk/bury-st-edmunds/news/star-cricketer-and-former-student-returns-to-mildenhall-college-for-awards-ceremony-1-7045506/ |title=Star cricketer and former student returns to Mildenhall college for awards ceremony |date=3 November 2015 |website=Suffolk News}}
Her brother is Adam Marriott, a Professional Footballer who played for Cambridge United F.C., Stevenage F.C., Lincoln City F.C. and Boston United F.C..
She got married in 2017 to George Byrne, a Select Group 2 Assistant referee operating in the EFL Championship.{{Cite web|url=https://www.abbeycroft.org.uk/abi-and-george-byrne/|title=Abi and George Byrne | Abbeycroft Leisure}}{{Cite web |url=https://www.sportingmemories.uk/news/news/sudbury-club-meet-cup-final-referee-ahead-of-wembley-showpiece/ |title=News | Sudbury Club meet Cup Final referee ahead of Wembley showpiece |website=Sporting Memories}}