Debbie
Jackson

Debbie Jackson grew up in Dapp, Alberta as a star setter, winning the 1A Girl’s Provincial Championships with St. Mary’s, Westlock. In 1977, when she could not afford to participate in the club season as a player, Debbie decided to stay involved in the sport in another way – becoming a referee.

In the early 1980s, Debbie moved to the Edmonton area, where she assumed the role of Zone Official’s Chair. The Zone Officials Chair was responsible for all facets of the refereeing system, including financials, assigning, discipline and development. Debbie was a one-woman band carrying the zone through each season. She served in this role for six years, spending countless hours on the phone assigning games for the various leagues in the city, all while raising two small children. Debbie recounts assigning from the hospital room shortly after she gave birth to her daughter Cindy in 1984. During those years, Debbie became certified as a Level II Provincial and Level III Regional Official. She spends every minute of her spare time advancing the sport of volleyball in the province by running clinics for new officials and developing zone structure, on top of refereeing countless games at various levels. Debbie has always worked to ensure that every possible match that could have a referee had one, even if that meant giving up her evenings to do it.

In 1988, Debbie was nominated for the Level IV National program, where she completed her certification in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Debbie’s drive and passion for the sport helped her to achieve this incredible accomplishment as a referee, which carried her forward in her career for the next three decades.

In 2002, Debbie was elected as the Regional Officials Chair for the Province of Alberta, a position she held for two terms until 2008. During this time, Debbie made a name for herself at the National level. She has since contributed to the Domestic Competitions Committee, sat as the Level IV Chair, and served as a Level IV Upgrade Committee member for many years. Debbie also developed and chaired the Female Referee Development Committee, a program that continues gaining traction and notoriety every season, promoting and advocating for female referees nationwide.

In March 2022, Debbie was instrumental in planning and executing Alberta’s first Women in Officiating Weekend (WOW) in Edmonton. This premier U17/U18 Boys event had 38 women representing all regions of the province, coming together to referee a fantastic weekend of volleyball that included networking, mentoring, and, most importantly – empowerment for women referees.

Debbie’s contributions to the Volleyball community in Alberta have been steadfast since her introduction to the refereeing community. Every fall, Debbie is a staple during the high school season, driving across the province every weekend to cover small-town tournaments and league games. Debbie consistently works at the High School Provincial Championships in a supervisory capacity, sharing her years of knowledge and expertise with officials from across many zones at each event. In the winter and spring, Debbie concentrates all her effort on the Alberta Colleges Athletic Association Provincials and the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association National Championships, as well as supervising and refereeing at Volleyball Alberta age class events every weekend. Debbie is one of only two referees who have attended every Volleyball Canada Open/Youth Nationals since the inaugural new format event in 1998.

Debbie cites that her greatest satisfaction comes from developing new relationships and helping new referees, particularly female referees, succeed.  Nothing is more satisfying for her than seeing a new referee succeed. 

Every season, Debbie looks beyond her achievements to give back to the game that she loves. Debbie is a mentor, a teacher, a wealth of knowledge, and a great referee. Today, we are honoured to induct Debbie Jackson as a Builder into the Volleyball Canada Hall of Fame for her work as a leader for referees in our sport.