Umpire Ayanna McClean gets International Hockey Federation award

Veteran referee Ayanna McClean was presented with the International Hockey Federation (FIH) golden whistle after overseeing her 100th game as an international umpire on Sunday.

The 39-year-old Trinidad and Tobago official reached this milestone after presiding over a Donghae Women’s Asian Champions Trophy match in Gangwon Province, South Korea. She was then awarded the golden whistle by members of the Asian Hockey Federation (ASF).

A statement by ASF on Monday congratulated McClean on her achievement.

“We congratulate and acknowledge the work of Ayanna McClean, a veteran umpire from TT who umpired her 100th international match today.

“Ayanna McClean earned the FIH golden whistle on completion of this remarkable milestone, which is an incredible achievement in the sport of hockey.”

McClean is a former TT women’s senior team defender and was selected for the first time to officiate at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.

Domestically, she played for Ventures Hockey Club and captained the Under-21 team. In 2004, McClean received a scholarship to Hofstra University in New York, where she also went on to captain the school team.

While still playing at Hofstra, McClean became an FIH-certified umpire. Her first international appointment was at the 2005 Junior Pan American Games in Puerto Rico.

She went on to umpire many significant international hockey events and in 2010, was appointed a neutral umpire for the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore.

At the 2013 Pan American Cup, McClean was honoured for umpiring her 50th international match. After attaining her FIH grade one in 2013, she became the highest-ranked female umpire from the Caribbean, and has been so since.