Katie continues proud family tradition

Athlone native Katie Rowan continued a proud family sporting tradition when she refereed the Gaynor Trophy final in the University of Limerick on Friday last.

The Gaynor Cup is Ireland’s premier inter-league tournament for U14 girls football, organised by the Schoolboys/Girls Football Association of Ireland (SFAI).

The son of John and Christine Rowan, Katie (18) is the grandchild of the late Breffni Rowan who founded the Midlands referee branch and also officiated in the Athlone & District Schoolboy League during the 1980s, while her great, great grandfather Michael Broderick officiated at the first two FAI Cup finals in 1922 and 1923.

Refereeing a fixture of such magnitude at such a young age did not prove daunting for the Our Lady’s Bower student who has made great strides since completing her refereeing course in July 2024.

“I wasn’t nervous before the final. I had a great team of officials with me and we were all in sync on our microphones during the course of the game,” Katie said.

Having officiated 11 games in the tournament, her final performance attracted praise from the referee assessor present in a fixture which saw Louth overcome Clare 1-0 after a period of extra-time.

In a further quirk of fate, Katie’s mentor is Athlone referee Ray Conlon, who served his mentorship days under her grandfather Breffni.

Looking towards the future Katie is hoping to referee at League of Ireland senior level, the Kiltoom resident currently serving her second season officiating from the U14 to the U17 grades in the national league.

She also officiated as assistant referee at the recent Combined Counties Football League Saturday Division Cup final between Mullingar Town and Ballymahon in Mount Temple.

“It’s a privilege to follow in my late grandfather’s refereeing footsteps and hopefully, I can do him proud into the future,” Katie said.