Jassett Kerr-Wilson never expected it. In fact, the thought of her ever being selected for a Fifa World Cup was a mere dream within a dream.

Now that she has the opportunity to live that dream at the Fifa Under-17 Women’s World Cup, Kerr-Wilson feels both pressure and excitement at the prospect of being among the 14 referees and 28 assistant referees.

Not only will she join compatriots Odette Hamilton and the more experienced Stephanie-Dale Yee Sing in India in October, but all three are also potential candidates to make the shortlist for next year’s Senior Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, provided they execute efficiently on this assignment.

“This assignment will be the biggest achievement in my refereeing career and it will take me one step closer to one of my goals which is officiating at a Senior Women’s World Cup. So I am just overwhelmed that I now have an opportunity to accomplish that goal,” Kerr-Wilson told the Jamaica Observer.

“I am filled with joy knowing that I will be working with Odette and Stephanie as we have done many games together so I am familiar with how they operate and we would be able to communicate to each other and understand what is being said.

“As you know the language barrier with the different countries sometimes is difficult to understand, especially when you are working with an official that does not speak your language. So it means a lot to me knowing that these ladies [Hamilton and Yee Sing] will be there, this way we can give our inputs about different situations and come up with the best solution in a short space of time, sometimes it is a split second,” she added.

Though the assistant referee waved her flag in the Concacaf Nations League final last year — the first woman to do so — and was also one of three women to officiate in the Concacaf Gold Cup semi-final, Kerr-Wilson said her feeling of gratitude and appreciation is sometimes overwhelmed by nerves.

“I have more nerves when I am on the international scene as I would not have had encounters with majority of the teams so not knowing what to expect makes you nervous. So to attend a World Cup surpasses all that, so it is more nerves than anything else because you would be officiating teams from all over the world, not the teams that you are use to in Concacaf,” Kerr-Wilson stated.

“At this level the expectations are very high, but I am confident in my ability to adapt quickly to what is being done and corrections given. I am very coachable and learn quickly, and I am very determined and intend to work very hard to make the most of this opportunity,” she noted.

Despite her love for the game and the fact that officiating was a part of her course at GC Foster College, the 31-year-old had no intentions of breaking into the profession. But as fate would have it, her initial ambitions fell through.

“At first I did not want to do it [officiating] as I only wanted to play football because through football I got a full scholarship to finish my studies. But after some time it grew on me and I did not stop after college,” the St Elizabeth Technical High School [STETHS] alumna shared.

Such is Kerr-Wilson’s dedication and commitment to the craft that she now trains for an hour or more each day, while balancing her full-time job as a physical education teacher at Greater Portmore High School.

And while it has not always been smooth sailing and the respective calls have not always been on point, Kerr-Wilson pointed out that she takes the feedbacks and criticism in strides, as she continues to hone her skills.

“I use my previous assignments as stepping stones to reach higher each time. With each game comes different challenges so with the feedbacks from each game, I always try to ensure that I do much better than I did in the game before,” Kerr-Wilson said.

“So I work on trying to get all my decisions correct and ensuring that I leave everything on the field so at the end I don’t have to think that I should have given more because I want to save my energy for the next game. More than anything else it [capitalising on feedbacks] shows that you are coachable and adaptable to anything that is thrown at you,” the soft-spoken and jovial personality stated.

That said, Kerr-Wilson’s preparation to strut her stuff on the sidelines of a global sporting showpiece, youth or otherwise, will not change.

“I’m really conscious of the speed I make split-second decisions and so I have to continue working on that as the World Cup draws closer. So part of my mental preparation is to watch video clips of different situations,” Kerr-Wilson told the Observer, adding that the physical aspect of her preparation is guided by a training programme.