Kansas Youth Soccer and the Kansas Referee Development Program has named Dilyn Davies as the 2023 Gordon Crape Young Female Referee of the Year! The entire Kansas Referee Development Program is extremely proud of Dilyn’s accomplishments on and off the field. She has made and continues to make outstanding contributions to the Kansas soccer community. 

Dilyn has been around the game of soccer her whole life. She started out in youth camps at the age of three, and the rest as they say is history. She credits soccer for providing her competitive, cooperative and team-oriented character traits. Now she embodies these characteristics as a Kansas Referee, a youth camp coach for Sporting BV and Challenger, and most importantly as a human being in every day life. Admittedly, much of her free time outside of playing (Sporting BV on the club side, Olathe North on the high school side) is spent around the game of soccer in a referee, mentor, and/or coach role. 

There is a life for Dilyn outside of soccer believe it or not! She is actively involved in the Sports Medicine and Exercise Science Academy at Olathe North High School. In addition to this program, Dilyn was named to the Honor Society, serves as a 7th grade ambassador to provide guidance to Olathe middle schoolers about the next steps in life, and takes pride as an Olathe North Eagle welcoming new students as a school ambassador, promoting school spirit and community. If all of this wasn’t time consuming enough, Dilyn and her friends carve out time to volunteer at food banks in the Olathe area to assemble care packages and load groceries into cars. 

We wanted to hear from Dilyn so we asked her a few questions about her officiating journey; past, present and future. Don’t miss the burning, hard-hitting question at the end!

KRDP: How did you get started as a referee?

DD: I got started as a referee when I was 11. I loved playing and was looking for a way to make money so I got certified. Worked games the weekend of my 12th birthday and I’ve re-certified every year since then. 

KRDP: What motivated you to take refereeing more seriously?

DD: My first state cup that I got to be involved really motivated me. I loved the community that I felt there as I had not felt that before with the games I had worked previously. The community around me was something I loved being a part of and it motivated me to keep working harder so I could stay in it. 

KRDP: What’s one life lesson you’ve learned through officiating?

DD: I have learned from officiating that it’s ok to ask people for help and admit mistakes. I have made so many errors as a referee, but through the community around it and the great mentors I’ve had, these mistakes have helped me to learn and grow so I can get better and move further up with my officiating. 

KRDP: You’re about to graduate from high school, what lies ahead?

DD: I am going to William Jewell College to play college soccer next year! I am really excited to go, but still be in the KC area so I can continue refereeing with the people I love to do it with!

KRDP: Is a hot dog a sandwich?

DD: Hot take real quick. It’s a taco if you really think about. Only way it would be a sandwich if it was classified under “sub sandwiches”

On behalf of the entire Kansas Soccer Referee Community, we congratulate Dilyn on this most deserved recognition! We wish you all the best in your future endeavors and cannot wait to see where refereeing continues to take you.