Matthew Conger | |
Birth Date: | 11 October 1978[1] |
Birth Place: | Plano, Texas, U.S. |
Otheroccupation: | Teacher |
Years1: | 2007–2024 |
League1: | NZFC |
Role1: | Referee |
Years2: | 2014–2019 |
League2: | A-League |
Role2: | Referee |
Internationalyears1: | 2013–2024 |
Confederation1: | FIFA listed |
Internationalrole1: | Referee |
Matthew Conger (born 11 October 1978) is a retired New Zealand football referee from Palmerston North. Born in Texas, United States, Conger operated in the Australian A-League and the New Zealand Football Championship. He is a former school teacher from Palmerston North who now works for Sport Manawatu.[2]
Conger began refereeing in the United States as a teenager, continuing after moving to New Zealand in his early 20s.
Conger has refereed at the 2015 Under-20 World Cup in New Zealand, the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, the 2017 Under-20 World Cup in South Korea, the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, and the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. He has also officiated in numerous A-League and New Zealand Football Championship games. He has also been the man in the middle for OFC Champions League games.[1]
In 2016, Conger left full-time teaching in order to concentrate more on his refereeing, but in 2017 was engaged part-time at Palmerston North's Carncot School.[3]
In 2017, Conger was named the New Zealand referee of the year.[3]