February 20, 2025
The League for Clubs is thrilled to announce that Karen Swanner has been appointed as the Director of Match Officials ahead of the 2025 season.
Swanner has over 40 years of experience in the sport, not just as an official, but also as an executive, educator, assigner and researcher. She will be tasked with overseeing match officials and making sure that they operate at the highest levels of professionalism to allow clubs, players and fans to enjoy the best possible product on the pitch.
“I am looking forward to the opportunity to assist in the development of The League for Clubs during this inception year. Having a diverse background in all aspects of the sport, I believe I can use my experience and skills to help the league grow,” Swanner said. “My extensive background in officiating, assigning, mentoring, training, coaching, researching, ownership and management of this sport, gives me a unique and confident perspective in my new role.”
Nearly two decades of Swanner's officiating career has been spent in the college game where she has officiated over 40 Conference Championship matches and 19 Final Fours across all levels (NCAA D-I, NCAA D-II, NAIA and NJCAA). In 2024, Swanner was awarded the NCAA D-II Conference Commissioners Award for Excellence in Soccer Officiating.
During her career, Swanner has also worked as a referee in international matches, Major League Soccer (MLS), United Soccer League (USL) and the Women’s Premier Soccer League (WPSL). Swanner is also a pioneer in indoor soccer officiating. She became one of the first female Floor Officials in professional indoor soccer and also served for three years as the Director of Officials for the Premier Arena Soccer League.
In 2017, Swanner developed TheOfficialsMind.com to concentrate on the development of the mental performance of officials. A regular contributor to Referee Magazine, Swanner has been working with Referee Enterprises and the National Association of Sports Officials on a set of performance training videos, What It Takes - Forge Your Peak Performance Mindset. These videos train officials in areas like stress management, building confidence and effective communication. The series will be released in the spring of 2025.
“I believe my diverse experiences, together with my passion for the game, can bring a creative, consistent, enthusiastic and hands-on approach to the officiating aspect of the league. This will help the officials grow and develop as The League for Clubs continues to grow and expand. My goal in serving as the Director of Officials includes improving and maintaining consistency in performance, professionalism, and superior game management. I intend to accomplish this with a solid infrastructure, and extensive training which includes the mental performance aspect of the game,” said Swanner.
Last month, it was announced that Swanner will serve the WPSL in the same role, Director of Match Officials, beginning in the 2025 season.
