GUAM PAIR TO SERVE IN FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP EVENTS

PRESS RELEASE – Guam will feature for the first time at the FIFA World Cup with the appointments of Jill Espiritu and Cheri Stewart as match officials in the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup Colombia 2024™ and FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup Dominican Republic 2024™, respectively, this year.

Espiritu, Guam Football Association Head of Communications and Commercialization, will serve as a Match Coordinator at Estadio Nemesio Camacho El Campín in Bogotá, Colombia, through to the tournament’s final match on Sept. 22. Stewart, GFA Executive Director, will serve as a Match Commissioner in Dominican Republic beginning in October.

“On behalf of GFA, I would like to congratulate Jill and Cheri on their FIFA assignments,” said Valentino San Gil, Guam Football Association President. “GFA is not only a model FIFA Member Association, but our staff represents some of the best in AFC. This is a huge milestone and will hopefully open more doors for others in Guam. I look forward to tracking their progress at their respective FIFA World Cup tournaments.”

Espiritu has been a FIFA and AFC Match Commissioner since 2018, appointed to the final round of many of AFC’s flagship tournaments, including the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Final, AFC Women’s Club Championship Pilot Tournament Final Match, AFC U23 Asian Cup Final, AFC Women’s Futsal Championship Final, and the final round of the AFC U16 Women’s Championship, now known as the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup, among others. In the region, she has been appointed to the EAFF E-1 Football Championship Final Round and also for the Women’s Football Competition of the SEA Games. In qualification stages, Espiritu had been appointed recently for the Korea Republic vs Thailand fixture of the FIFA World Cup 26™ Qualifiers of the Asian Zone and previously for FIFA Women’s Football Olympic Qualifiers, AFC Cup Group Stage matches, AFC Women’s Club Championship Pilot Tournament, and AFC’s youth tournaments. Last year, Espiritu was the Local Organizing Committee Chairperson for the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup Qualifier Group G held in Guam that featured teams from Guam, Lebanon, and the Philippines.

“It is definitely an honor to be appointed to such a prestigious tournament as the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup Colombia 2024™ and to be among some of the best in the world to deliver the tournament,” said Espiritu. “It is an exciting opportunity for me to learn and grow from this experience and to bring back best practices to Guam.

“The support from FIFA and AFC has been enormous, and I’m grateful. Thanks also to EAFF for providing opportunities at regional flagship tournaments and to GFA and GFA Executives for getting me to where I am today,” Espiritu added.

The FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup Colombia 2024™ officially kicked off Aug. 31. The tournament’s final match set for Sept. 22. For the first time, 24 teams will feature in the tournament, an increase from 16 in 2022.

Stewart has been a FIFA and AFC Match Commissioner for 17 years and has been appointed to several iterations of major flagship tournaments in the Asian continent including the AFC Women’s Asian Cup, AFC Champions League, AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup, AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup, FIFA Women’s Football Olympic Qualifiers, and EAFF E-1 Football Championship Final Round, among others. Stewart has also received appointments for the AFC Cup and AFC Women’s Club Championship Pilot Tournament. In 2013, Stewart was the Local Organizing Committee Chairperson for the AFC U16 Women’s Championship Qualifier Group D that features teams from Guam, Chinese Taipei, and Hong Kong.

“During my 17 years as a Match Commissioner for various competitions under FIFA, AFC, EAFF, and GFA, each event has left a lasting impression and memory,” Stewart said. “It’s an incredible honor to be appointed as MC for the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup. This has been such an amazing compilation of experience and passion, and I am deeply committed to upholding the integrity of the game at this extraordinary level.”

The FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup Dominican Republic 2024™ officially kicks off Oct. 16 with the final match Nov. 3.

Both Espiritu and Stewart also played major roles in Guam’s hosting of preliminary qualification rounds of three editions of the FIFA World Cup. The Matao, Guam National Team, most recently played in the FIFA World Cup 26™ Qualifiers of the Asian Zone in October 2023.