Abigail Byrne will be the referee when Newport County travel to MK Dons in League Two on Friday afternoon (3pm).
Byrne began her refereeing career in 2011 and steadily progressed through the ranks of the National League System.
She officiated in the Eastern Counties Football League during the 2015–16 season before moving on to the Isthmian League from 2016 to 2022, where she was named Referee of the Year in 2019. In 2022, she was promoted to the National League.
A prominent figure in the women’s game, Byrne has officiated five Women’s FA Cup Finals at Wembley Stadium—serving as referee in 2019 and 2024, assistant referee in 2017, and fourth official in both 2020 and 2023. She also refereed the 2021 FA Women’s League Cup Final at Vicarage Road.
In 2023, she made history by becoming the first woman to referee Soccer Aid, overseeing the charity match at Old Trafford, where Usain Bolt and Jill Scott captained the respective sides.
Byrne further broke ground in the men’s professional game, becoming only the third female referee to officiate an English Football League match when she took charge of AFC Wimbledon vs Swindon Town in League Two on Boxing Day 2024.
She will be supported on Friday by assistant referees Marcus Carmichael and Steven Plane, with Alex Mathieson acting as fourth official.
