Made in Ontario Match Official Melissa Snedden is a globally-renowned referee from Oakville, Ontario. Earlier this year, Melissa was appointed to the iconic Maurice Revello Tournament, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2024.

Previously known as the Toulon Tournament, the Maurice Revello Tournament is a highly prestigious football competition held annually in France.

Melissa spent 21 days in Bouches-du-Rhône as an official at the Maurice Revello Tournament 2024. She ended up officiating three games in total - two in the group stage and the gold medal match between Ivory Coast and Ukraine.

In this Ontario Soccer Spotlight, we bring you a full Q&A session with Melissa, where she discusses her career leading up to this moment and what it takes for a referee to rise to such a high level. Throughout the conversation, Melissa takes us inside the mind of a Match Official, sharing the highs and lows of her intensive experience at the Maurice Revello tournament:

Can you share a bit about your journey to becoming a referee and what inspired you to pursue this path?

MELISSA: I first started refereeing at the tender age of 12 – which was the soonest that I could start. Obviously starting at that point in my life compared to where I am now, I had different goals. Being a 12-year-old soccer player, I was excited to learn and make a bit of money. As I started to move up, I loved the challenge. No two games are ever the same, and that's something that I really like about soccer.

It’s challenging, and you walk away from a game and you learn. Even if it's something very small that you can then apply to your next game.

Earlier this year, you were re-named to the FIFA International List of Referees. Can you tell us more about that accomplishment and what it means to you?

MELISSA: 2016 was a turning point in my career. I was invited to Vaughan, Ontario for the U- 18 Boys - National Championship. I was there as a support official since I was local. That's where I had the opportunity to be seen by the Canada Soccer Referee Committee. Because of my performance at that tournament, I was able to have conversations with numerous committee members to talk about my pathway: Did I want to be a referee or an Assistant Referee (AR)? Did I want to make the National or International List? What were some concerns that I had etc.

In 2017, I was sent to the Under 15 CONCACAF Championships in Florida, alongside other Canadian colleagues. This was a showcase tournament and an opportunity for us to be seen by International Assessors and Instructors.

In December 2017 I received a phone call from Isaac Raymond, and it's a phone call I'll never forget. I was told that I was going to be added to the FIFA List in 2018.

Every single year we go through the re-nomination process. Performance, assessment and fitness requirements must be met in order to be re-nominated.

How did you get selected for the 2024 Maurice Revello tournament?

MELISSA: It’s hard to say exactly how we were selected but I believe it was because of our performance at the CONCACAF Women's Gold Cup. I was in a trio with Myriam Marcotte, who I also went to the Maurice Revello tournament with. We had a really strong tournament and received a quarter final game between Brazil and Argentina.

The Maurice Revello tournament is in its 50th year, and some really big names like Ronaldo and David Beckham have previously participated in this tournament when they were in their 20s.

You’re also reminding yourself why you're there. I had a great support network as I was there with Myriam and Gabrielle and it was great to see the support among the referees at the tournament. When appointments came out, we gave each other hugs to congratulate one another. If there was a decision on the screen that was a good decision and you had the replay, you'd start clapping and cheering for your colleagues. That really helped us overcome fatigue and prepare ourselves mentally for our upcoming games.

After our first game we sat down together and came up with a game plan for our match between Japan and Indonesia. We wanted a game on the last day of the tournament, which meant it would either be the bronze medal game or the gold medal game.

We had to overcome technological challenges in our first and second game. In our first game we had no communication with Gabrielle for the last 20mins of the game as her communication set stopped working. The first 25 minutes of our second game, we had no communication at all. The communication set stopped working during the coin toss. At the start of the game I was working with the fourth official trying to get the other communication set in time for the hydration break. During that time, there was a difficult offside decision on a goal. We went back to basics and Myriam went over to Gabrielle and had a conversation about the play. You have to be able to adjust and refocus when things are out of your control, which can really test your mental toughness.

Now let’s talk about the gold medal game. Can you walk us through it?

MELISSA: Going into the match, we knew it was going to be a very hard-fought game. The Ukraine team was a U23 team, and they're actually going to the Paris 2024 Olympics. They were very physically strong on the ball and technical. Ivory Coast, also a very technical team, had a lot of speed. We knew it was going to be a fairly even game with different tactics from each team going in but when a gold medal is on the line, anything can happen.

Seven minutes into the match was the most critical decision of the game and it was my decision. I had to determine whether it was a defender play on the ball or a deflection. In those situations you have to make them immediately as the play does not stop. Within seconds, the ball was in the back of the net and I communicated it was a good goal. There was no VAR at this tournament so any decision we made on the field stood.

Because there were some criteria for a deflection, it made the decision much more difficult.

That goal put Ukraine up 1-0. Shortly after that, Ukraine scored a second goal. In the 43rd minute, Ivory Coast scored their first goal. Going into halftime, we knew that the game was going to change. Ivory Coast had the upper hand and momentum going into the second half. Eventually Ivory Coast scored their second goal which took us to a shootout with Ukraine out scoring Ivory Coast.

After the game, the Assessor came in and he said ultimately, the game changer was that first goal. It was determined that it was a correct decision and it was a defender play on the ball, which is a huge relief. This particular play was a poor play by the defender which can often look like a deflection.

MELISSA: Myriam and I worked together at the CONCACAF Women’s Gold Cup. In the last six months, we've done seven games together. I feel like we're starting to get more and more familiar with one another.

Since both Myriam and Gabrielle are from Quebec and their first language is French but they are fluent in English. I unfortunately don’t speak French. During the game we communicate in English although sometimes it’s easier for Myriam and Gabrielle to speak French to one another.

From the CONCACAF Women’s Gold Cup, Myriam and I have established a lot of trust amongst each other. Gabrielle and Myriam have known each other since they were 15, 16 years old and they’ve worked together quite a bit because they are in the same city.

Assistant Referee’s have to adapt to any referee and I would say that Myriam’s style of refereeing is very easy to adapt to. She puts a lot of trust in us, and we obviously put a lot of trust in her. If you don't trust your trio, you're not going to be successful on the field.

What impact will this moment have on you and your refereeing career moving forward?

MELISSA: Since we just started the cycle for Brazil 2027, this tournament really put us in a good position to be candidates for the World Cup. We’re all very excited for what the soccer world has in store for us as every FIFA referee dreams of going to a World Cup.

There's a lot going on in the women's side with upcoming Youth World Cup’s. The U20 Women’s World Cup is in Colombia in August, the U17 Women’s World Cup is in the Dominican Republic in October this year.

Do you find the mental or physical aspect of officiating to be more challenging?

MELISSA: They each kind of take on their own world. I would say for me, they're almost equal. I know other people may say differently - everyone is different. But I would say that they're equally as challenging. You can be extremely fit, but if you can't mentally make the tough decisions, then you’re not going to have a successful career.

At your level, how do you continue improving your craft?

MELISSA: It is very difficult to try and balance refereeing and working full time.

Within the FIFA training program it is required of you to satisfy two training categories per training session. For example, strength and agility or high intensity and flexibility. Making sure that you’re meeting the fitness standards throughout the year can be challenging at times especially in the winter with limited resources but it’s part of the process

Being physically prepared for competition is also very important. During seminar days we have a variety of testing; flexibility, endurance, sprint and agility tests. We also receive feedback about our running technique

Do you have any advice for other referees in Ontario with similar aspirations?

Keep working hard and set small goals for yourself. It is also really important to never be bigger than the game.

If you are serious about taking the journey of being selected for the Next Gen list in Ontario, or the Next Gen in Canada, you really need to hone in on your fitness. That is something that is in your control.

A statistic that I heard earlier this year, from Kari Seitz was only 0.02% make the FIFA International List. It’s such a small percentage but it is possible. You have to have a growth mindset, resiliency, grit and persevere. Soccer is constantly evolving and we as referees have to continue to adapt.