For the third consecutive year, Little Athletics NSW official Jordan Ashby-Brigandi has been nominated for Young Official of the Year at the NSW Community Sports Awards.

To be announced on June 20th at NSW Parliament House, the prestigious NSW Community Sports Awards recognises the achievements of groups and individuals within the sporting community.

20-year-old Ashby-Brigandi has been honoured with another nomination after her seventh season of officiating with LANSW – she was also nominated for Young Official of the Year in 2017 and 2018.

Ashby-Brigandi joined Little Athletics as a seven-year-old and was part of the 2009 Trans-Tasman Tour.

While training at the Prospect LAC as a 14-year-old, Jordan served as Technical Officer for throwing events in younger divisions. A few years later, she was a fully-accredited athletics official, one of the only teenage officials in the state – the average age of athletics officials in NSW is currently 73 years old.

When she isn’t studying social relations, Jordan works with Amnesty International and UN Youth Australia.

LANSW Competition & Volunteer Coordinator Diane Levy praised Jordan for her ongoing services to the sport, specifically commending her dual role as competitor and official.

“Jordan’s a really nice person; great with the athletes,” said Levy.

“She’s been officiating for LANSW since she finished competing as a Little Athlete herself.”

Reflecting on her early years as an official, Jordan admits she encountered difficulties balancing her studies, athletics, work and volunteering.

“For four years I was both athlete and official – I would be competing, get changed, officiate for a few events, then go back and compete,” said Ashby-Brigandi.

“The difficult thing is that I work on Saturday, and unfortunately everybody needs money.

“It limits my ability to officiate because of time constraints, but I just want to keep going.”

Despite the obstacles, helping kids with their athletic development is gratifying for Ashby-Brigandi, especially since she was a Little Athlete herself.

“I love seeing the kids out there just having fun… mucking around and doing their best,” said Ashby-Brigandi.

“Officiating can be more than just giving out rules – it’s about mentoring; it’s about caring and guiding.”

Jordan was given the exciting opportunity to officiate at the recent Invictus Games in Sydney – she was the youngest officiator at an event with 105,000 spectators and 491 injured or ill competitors that served as defence personnel.

“These people aren’t athletes; they’re not Olympians… for some of them it’s their first international competition or even first athletics competition,” said Ashby-Brigandi.

“It was honestly the best experience – it was the best Athletics Australia competition ever.

“That athletic spirit was so present that day; it was absolutely breathtaking.”

One specific mishap at the Invictus Games resonated strongly with Jordan, as it emphasised the heart-warming spirit and importance of the Invictus Games.

“There was an athlete doing discus; the one-legged event – unfortunately, the gentleman lost his balance, and his leg fell off,” said Ashby-Brigandi.

“Everyone just gasped, but this guy was laughing his head off; he just picked his leg up and kept going.

“It was one of those incredible things you don’t see anywhere else; you can’t experience that anywhere else.”

Jordan is optimistic her name will be called when they announce Young Official of the Year next month – while the nomination is pleasing, she undeniably hopes it’s a case of ‘third time lucky’.

“I’m honoured to be a finalist, but I want that little bit more, “said Ashby-Brigandi.

“I think that difference comes from a background in athletics – you don’t just want silver; you want the gold.”

Volunteering has become increasingly difficult in a modern era where varying commitments overlap – Jordan has noticed a distinct shift of atmosphere when volunteers are paid for their time.

“I dislike when the events are paid because I think it loses some of that athletic spirit – it loses some of that community aspect when you start bringing in money,” said Ashby-Brigandi.

“Some of my mates officiate soccer on the weekend… not because they care; not because they want to see the athletes at their best.”

Jordan encourages all athletics enthusiasts to give officiating a chance; however, she admits that it took her several years to recognise the benefits of volunteering.

“You might not see the rewards now; you’ll see it in about seven years,” said Ashby-Brigandi.

“It can be hell getting up at 5 am… but it is 100% worthwhile and rewarding.

“Stick with it – it’s not going to be easy, but it’s going to be worth it.”