The Dunedin referee has been appointed to the Fifa international panel as an assistant referee for the 2025 season.
Clipsham is one of 13 match officials from New Zealand to receive the nod internationally, including five women — the greatest number of New Zealand women in an appointment to date.
Anna-Marie Keighley, who refereed at the Women’s World Cup in 2023, Sarah Jones and Beth Rattray have been appointed as referees, and Heloise Simons joins Clipsham as an assistant.
"It’s an absolute privilege to have them as colleagues on the Fifa panel and to be working with World Cup referees — it’s a really exciting time," Clipsham said.
The appointment opened the door for Clipsham to be involved in Fifa World Cups, including the U17 and U20 age groups, as she worked through the ranks.
It also gave her the chance to be involved in more Oceania tournaments.
She is heading to the Cook Islands next week for the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) men’s champions league qualifiers.
"It’ll be the first time an all-female team’s been appointed to a men’s tournament in OFC.
"It’s a fantastic opportunity."
She is under no illusions that the hard work is only just beginning, but had big goals to be involved in the Women’s World Cup one day.
The appointment also allowed her to continue being involved in both the men’s and women’s game, which made her well-rounded.
"It’s fantastic doing both.
"It makes you such a better referee, because you’ve got to be adaptable to the demands of the game in front of you."
Football has always been a big part of Clipsham’s life.
She turned to refereeing after an accident as a teenager nearly put paid to her playing career.
Clipsham, who grew up in Lincolnshire, broke her leg seriously when she was 13 and was told she might never be able to play football again.
That was a gutting blow, and she searched for other avenues to stay involved.
She picked up the whistle and started taking courses, doing her high-performance training in Wales, which included a Welsh FA Cup final.
She once wanted to be the first female referee in the premier league, but the goal posts shifted and Clipsham landed in New Zealand in 2017 — and never looked back.
"I always wanted to be a professional referee and the Fifa badge obviously takes us one step closer to that goal."
Clipsham, who also works as Southern Football’s referee development manager, has been involved in the national women’s league, various Oceania tournaments and last year was part of the Women’s A-League panel, where she was appointed to an elimination final in Australia.
"Being part of that panel was such an honour.
"It was a humongous achievement because working in the Australian league is a massive step up for Kiwi match officials."
Fellow Dunedin referee Calvin Berg has also been reappointed to the Fifa panel as a referee.
Berg, who has been in Argentina at an exchange between Oceania officials, was an "inspiration" to everyone in Dunedin, Clipsham said.
"Sometimes people feel like geography is a barrier, but people like Calvin, they really shine and show that geography isn’t a barrier.
"If you really want something hard enough, you can go out there and get it."
