{"id":113801,"date":"2026-02-02T13:59:45","date_gmt":"2026-02-02T13:59:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=113801"},"modified":"2026-02-02T13:59:45","modified_gmt":"2026-02-02T13:59:45","slug":"portia-oppong-ghanas-first-female-fifa-beach-soccer-referee","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=113801","title":{"rendered":"Portia Oppong: Ghana\u2019s first female FIFA Beach Soccer referee"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n \t<\/i> Read Time:<\/span>1 Minute, 54 Second <\/div>\n\n <\/div>

Portia Oppong is fast becoming a symbol of versatility and dedication in Ghanaian sport.
\nFrom making her mark on the table tennis court to officiating high-profile football and beach soccer matches, Oppong has carved out an inspiring journey across multiple sporting disciplines.
\nFrom the table tennis courts to the football pitch and the sandy expanses of Beach Soccer, Portia Oppong\u2019s story is one of passion, perseverance, and breaking barriers.<\/p>\n

Her transition into refereeing began shortly after completing senior high school in 2015, setting her on a path that would see her break new ground and redefine possibilities for women in sports officiating.
\n\u201cAfter completing Senior High School in 2015, I started my refereeing in 2016 at Akyem Oda in the Eastern Region of Ghana,\u201d she recalls.\u00a0
\nFrom that point on, she steadily rose through the ranks, officiating top-level matches in football, Futsal, and beach soccer. Her assignments have included high-profile encounters featuring some of the country\u2019s best women\u2019s teams and national-level competitions.<\/p>\n

Portia Oppong (middle) in action, doing what she loves best<\/p>\n

Balancing her numerous sporting roles has not been without challenges. Portia admits;
\n\u201cIt has not been easy combining football, Futsal, and beach soccer, alongside military duties, but I always sail through because of the passion I have for these activities,” Portia Oppong said.\u00a0
\nHer ability to juggle playing, officiating, and military responsibilities speaks to her discipline and love for sports.
\nHer achievements as a referee reached a historic milestone when she became the first female FIFA Beach Soccer referee in Ghana.\u00a0
\n\u201cI feel so excited, especially being the first female FIFA Beach Soccer referee in the history of Ghana. It is top-notch for me! My dream to rise through the ranks of refereeing has come true,” she added.
\nThe recognition at an international level is not only a personal triumph but also a beacon of inspiration for aspiring female referees in the country. Before her refereeing career, Portia was also a talented footballer.
\nShe played for her school team from basic to senior high school, representing her district and even reaching the regional level. However, her growing prominence in table tennis eventually led her to focus on the sport, where she represented the Eastern Region during her schooling years.<\/p>\n

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\n

\"Portia<\/p>\n

Portia Oppong is fast becoming a symbol of versatility and dedication in Ghanaian sport.<\/strong><\/p>\n

From making her mark on the table tennis court to officiating high-profile football and beach soccer matches, Oppong has carved out an inspiring journey across multiple sporting disciplines.<\/p>\n

From the table tennis courts to the football pitch and the sandy expanses of Beach Soccer, Portia Oppong\u2019s story is one of passion, perseverance, and breaking barriers.<\/p>\n

Her transition into refereeing began shortly after completing senior high school in 2015, setting her on a path that would see her break new ground and redefine possibilities for women in sports officiating.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter completing Senior High School in 2015, I started my refereeing in 2016 at Akyem Oda in the Eastern Region of Ghana,\u201d she recalls.\u00a0<\/p>\n

From that point on, she steadily rose through the ranks, officiating top-level matches in football, Futsal, and beach soccer. Her assignments have included high-profile encounters featuring some of the country\u2019s best women\u2019s teams and national-level competitions.<\/p>\n

Portia Oppong (middle) in action, doing what she loves best<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Balancing her numerous sporting roles has not been without challenges. Portia admits;<\/p>\n

\u201cIt has not been easy combining football, Futsal, and beach soccer, alongside military duties, but I always sail through because of the passion I have for these activities,” Portia Oppong said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Her ability to juggle playing, officiating, and military responsibilities speaks to her discipline and love for sports.<\/p>\n

Her achievements as a referee reached a historic milestone when she became the first female FIFA Beach Soccer referee in Ghana.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel so excited, especially being the first female FIFA Beach Soccer referee in the history of Ghana. It is top-notch for me! My dream to rise through the ranks of refereeing has come true,” she added.<\/p>\n

The recognition at an international level is not only a personal triumph but also a beacon of inspiration for aspiring female referees in the country. Before her refereeing career, Portia was also a talented footballer.<\/p>\n

She played for her school team from basic to senior high school, representing her district and even reaching the regional level. However, her growing prominence in table tennis eventually led her to focus on the sport, where she represented the Eastern Region during her schooling years.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_2277560469115098_106292521332774":"","twitter_aToxNzczMzI3Njk4OTg4ODUxMjAxOw==_1773327698988851200":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,103],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-113801","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sports","category-travel"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113801","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=113801"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113801\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=113801"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=113801"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=113801"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}