Katriina Elovirta


Katriina Elovirta was a Finnish female footballer and was a well known international match referee who served from 1991-2003. She served as a referee affiliating with FIFA between 1995 and 2003 She also worked as a development manager for the Finnish Football Association until her death. Elovirta died at age 57 after a long illness.

Career

As a player

Elovirta appeared in 9 international matches as a midfielder for Finland and was a member of the Helsinki United team which won its first domestic Finnish Women's Cup title in 1990 beating FC Kontu 3-2 in the final.

As a referee

Elovirta went on to become a match referee in 1991 after retiring from playing in international football. She served as a referee in many women's football championships including the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup, 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup, UEFA Women's Euro 197, UEFA Women's Euro 2001 and 2001-02 UEFA Women's Cup. She also notably served as a match official at the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup Final and in the 2002 UEFA Women's Cup Final. In 2005, she was appointed as one of the 5 women instructors as a part of the FIFA technical group.