She picked up a referee’s whistle after finishing her competitive career at 18.
Roughly six years later, a month before her 24th birthday, Carly Shaw-MacLaren achieved one of the province’s highest honours in soccer.
The Prince George product was named the BC Soccer Official of the Year based on her accomplishments from 2020.
The announcement came three months after she marked a milestone in her young career as she got to referee her first professional match on Aug. 16 in the Canadian Premier League (CPL).
The country’s top soccer association hosted the ‘Island Games’ in August and September at the University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) in providing a condensed season during COVID-19 for the CPL’s eight competing clubs.
Canada Soccer, the nation’s governing body for the game, enlisted Shaw-MacLaren’s help on and off the pitch only a short time after earning her full national officiating certification this year.
“This experience has allowed me to referee my first professional soccer games in such a short period of time,” she said in a Canada Soccer statement.
“This exposure has helped me gain confidence in the professional game and I will be able to apply this next season.”
Referee Carly Shaw-Maclaren will be in charge of her 1st Canadian Premier League match this Sunday afternoon at the #IslandGames.
— Canada Soccer (@CanadaSoccerEN) August 16, 2020
Already in her young career, Shaw-Maclaren has been appointed to 2 Canadian finals (2018 & 2019 Jubilee Trophy final).
▶️ https://t.co/pLvqtEvDiY pic.twitter.com/CJ6bWSI6Aa
In total, Shaw-MacLaren led an officiating crew in three CPL matches on P.E.I. (Aug. 16, 22 and 30), overseeing teams like FC Edmonton, York9 FC, Valour FC (Winnipeg), Atlético Ottawa and Forge FC (Hamilton), who went on to win the bubble tournament on Sept. 19.
The 2014 Duchess Park graduate acted as the fourth official in five other contests, including one of the two semi-finals on Sept. 15.
Shaw-MacLaren is a graduate of BC Soccer’s officiating prep program and has worked other major leagues and tournaments, including the USL First Division, CONCACAF Men’s Under-20 qualifications and Canada Summer Games.
In March 2019, she became the first woman to referee the Vancouver Island Soccer League’s Jackson Cup Final.
That same year, the Prince George Youth Soccer Association alumna was named BC Soccer’s Woman of Distinction for her dedication and rise through the officiating ranks.
Shaw-MacLaren also graduated from the University of Victoria this past summer, earning her Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology.
