May 13, 2026
CNRA is pleased to announce the launch of a Women’s Refereeing Initiative to promote the inclusion and advancement of women in refereeing soccer. Led by California North native Deleana Quan, a retired FIFA Assistant Referee and current National Referee Coach, this program will create opportunities for women to connect with other female officials around the state, build relationships with top women referees from around the country, receive training opportunities tailored to women, deepen their connection to refereeing soccer and benefit from a dedicated pathway to advancement.
Planned activities include attending women’s professional soccer matches and meeting the professional match officials after the game, participating in tournaments with cohorts of women officials to receive dedicated referee coaching, periodic web-based meetings with female professional and international match officials to explore their career paths on and off the field, and other events designed to improve the pathway for advancement for women in refereeing.
If you are interested in participating in the Women’s Refereeing Initiative, please click here to sign up. More information will follow in the coming weeks and months for initial activities to take place as part of this initiative.
Deleana Quan is a retired FIFA Assistant Referee who officiated in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) from 2013-2021 and served on the FIFA panel from 2016-2021. Internationally, Deleana officiated at the 2016 FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup in Jordan, the 2017 Algarve Cup, the 2018 U17 Women’s World Cup in Uruguay, and the 2019 Women’s World Cup Qualifiers. Domestically, Deleana officiated the 2019 NWSL Final, as well as the 2020 and 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup Finals. She also officiated the 2017 and 2019 NCAA College Cup Finals. Since retiring, Deleana now serves as a National Referee Coach for U.S. Soccer, coaching and evaluating the next generation of officials at the National level. Deleana was born and raised in Sacramento, currently lives in San Francisco, and started her career in refereeing in Cal North.
