Marlize Jordaan wins Gsport Woman of the Year award
Top South African female referee and former Springbok Women’s rugby stalwart Marlize Jordaan on Wednesday won the Gsport Woman of the Year award, capping off a fantastic 2013 season.
Jordaan fought off strong competition from SAFA Technical Director Fran Hilton-Smith and Netball South Africa President Mimi Mthethwa for the prestigious award.
Jordaan, who made the switch from a player to a referee, made history this year by becoming the first female to officiate a men’s Sevens international. She handled the whistle in the IRB Sevens Rugby World Cup qualifier between Peru and Paraguay in Brazil in February.
During her career as a player she represented the Springbok Women’s team at the Nations Cup in Canada in 2009 and she played Tests in Dubai and Scotland.
She was also named as a non-travelling reserve for the Women’s Rugby World Cup squad in 2009.
SARU GM Referees Andre Watson congratulated Jordaan on the achievement and he hoped this would inspire many more women to follow in her footsteps.
“We are very proud of Marlize for winning this prestigious award,” said Watson. “She has worked hard to reach this point in her refereeing career and this achievement is certainly a just reward for all her efforts. She is a real rugby pioneer in South Africa and an inspiration for our Women’s game in general.”
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