Denise Daleman-Robinson
Builder – Soccer
Photo Credit: Oshawa Snap Photo Studio
For Denise Daleman-Robinson, sports have always been an integral part of life, with soccer holding the greatest degree of passion. In her youth, Denise began playing soccer at age 9 in the Oshawa Park League with her dad, Casey, as her coach. As a teenager, Denise won three Ontario championships (U14, U16, U18) as well as the U18 Canadian championship in 1990. While at Trent and Queen’s University, she was a member of the soccer and basketball teams.
After the conclusion of her playing career, Denise made the transition from soccer athlete to soccer referee, embarking on a pathway that would take her to the highest levels of this sport worldwide. In 2000, she was accredited as an Assistant Referee with FIFA, the Federation Internationale de Football Association, thus becoming the first Ontario-born official to earn her FIFA badge and to officiate several men’s exhibition games, including the match featuring AS Roma vs Glascow Celtic at Toronto’s Skydome in August 1994.
She would remain on FIFA’s List of Referees for eight years (2000 to 2007 inclusive); some of the more prominent matches in which Denise was an Assistant Referee were the CONCACAF Women’s Gold Cup in 2000 held in the United States, the Pan American Games in 2003 in the Dominican Republic, and several Olympic and World Cup Qualifying Tournaments across North America. Additionally, Denise’s FIFA career saw her working the sidelines at the:
- 2002 U20 Women’s World Cup (Canada) – Assistant Referee
- 2003 Women’s World Cup (USA) – First Assistant Referee
- China vs Ghana; Sweden vs Nigeria; United States vs Germany (Semi-Final)
- 2004 Summer Olympic Games (Athens) – First Assistant Referee
- Germany vs China (Opening Match); Germany vs Spain (Bronze Medal Game)
Denise served as a Referee and an Assistant Referee at the 1996 and 2001 Canada Games as well as the Canadian National Soccer Championships (known as the Men’s Challenge Trophy and the Women’s Jubilee Trophy) from 1998 to 2004. Furthermore, she was a Referee and an Assistant Referee in the Men’s United Soccer League (USL), the Premier Development League (USL2), and the Canadian Professional Soccer League, along with numerous Ontario Cup and U Sports (Canadian University) championships.
In 2008, the Canadian Soccer Association recognized Denise’s accomplishments as a referee by bestowing two awards: International Achievement Award (celebrating Canadian referees who have been on the FIFA List of Referees for five consecutive years) and the Ray Morgan Memorial Award (honours referees who show progress at national and international levels).
Though she no longer referees at any FIFA-sanctioned competitions, Denise has maintained an avid interest in mentoring and officiating youth sports; her accreditations currently include:
- NCCP Level 3 Soccer Coach (2008)
- Ontario Soccer Association Referee (1990) and Instructor
- Ontario Volleyball Association Referee (2022)
Denise has been a teacher in the Durham District School Board since 1996 and has been a School Principal since 2011; she is currently in this role at Captain Michael VandenBos Public School in Whitby. Denise resides in Whitby with her husband, Steve, and their sons Eric, Luke, and Patrick; she enjoys going to the gym and watching her sons play sports in her spare time.