Port Macquarie referees Brad Walsh and Emma Bleasdale upgrade referee badges at NSW Touch awards night

Emma Bleasdale and Brad Walsh were among 14 referees from all over the state that were presented with their blue NSW blazers as state graded referees.

They became the sixth and seventh officials from Port Macquarie to achieve that level.

Walsh completed the Port Macquarie hat-trick when he was named the Northern Eagles' region referee of the year.

It follows on from Jacob Hardie and current Port Macquarie touch football referees director Greg Oaten who claimed the honours over the last two years.

"It's the third year in a row Port Macquarie has won that award," Oaten said.

Bleasdale was also announced as the Junior State Cup Finals referee of the tournament for her efforts in Wollongong in April.

"It's the first time Port Macquarie has been recognised as the referee of that tournament so it's a feather in her cap," Oaten said.

"We've had a focus on referee development over the years and have leveraged a bit of support from NSW Touch."

Oaten said the association was looking to jump on the back of the run of success on the field with the relative representative teams.

It flowed through to the officials in the middle.

"From a club perspective our representative teams are improving and we're getting serious about our performances," Oaten said.

"We're focusing on raising the standard of touch football here."

While you're with us, you can now receive updates straight to your inbox from the Port Macquarie News. To make sure you're up to date with all the news, SIGN UP HERE.