# Alyssa Pennington

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{{Short description|American soccer referee (born 1996)}}
{{Redirect|Alyssa Nichols|the actress and DJ|Indigo (actress)}}
{{Infobox football official
| name                = Alyssa Pennington
| image               = NC Courage vs Portland Thorns (Apr 2026) 21 (Pennington).jpg
| caption             = Pennington in 2026
| fullname            = 
| birth_name          = Alyssa Pennington
| birth_date          = {{birth date and age|1996|01|15}}
| birth_place         = [Jackson, Mississippi](/source/Jackson%2C_Mississippi), United States
| years1              = 
| league1             = [NWSL](/source/National_Women's_Soccer_League)
| role1               = [Referee](/source/Referee_(football))
| years2              = 
| league2             = [USL Championship](/source/USL_Championship)
| role2               = Referee
| years3              = 
| league3             = [MLS](/source/Major_League_Soccer)
| role3               = Referee
}}
'''Alyssa Pennington''' (born January 15, 1996) is an American [soccer](/source/association_football) referee.

==Early life==
Pennington was born on January 15, 1996, in [Jackson, Mississippi](/source/Jackson%2C_Mississippi), to Pearl and Andrew Pennington.<ref name="darkhorse">{{Cite web|url=https://darkhorsepressnow.com/jackson-native-makes-history-becoming-first-fifa-referee-in-mississippi-read-alyssa-nichols-story/|title=Jackson Native Makes History Becoming First FIFA Referee In Mississippi: Read Alyssa Nichols Story|work=Dark Horse Press|first=Morgan|last=Howard|date=January 10, 2023|access-date=January 14, 2024}}</ref> She attended [Murrah High School](/source/Murrah_High_School) in Jackson, where she was a member of the school soccer team.<ref name="guardian">{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/aug/18/alyssa-nichols-fifa-referee-mississippi-jackson-state|title=Alyssa Nichols: the trailblazing US referee chasing her World Cup 'dream'|work=[The Guardian](/source/The_Guardian)|first=Adria R|last=Walker|date=August 18, 2023|access-date=January 14, 2024}}</ref> Pennington went on to earn her undergraduate degree in [chemistry](/source/chemistry) from [Jackson State University](/source/Jackson_State_University), joining the [Delta Sigma Theta](/source/Delta_Sigma_Theta) sorority and graduating [magna cum laude](/source/magna_cum_laude).<ref name=guardian/>

==Refereeing==
Pennington started refereeing at the age of 17.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.supertalk.fm/alyssa-nichols-to-represent-mississippi-as-the-states-first-fifa-referee/|title=Alyssa Nichols to represent Mississippi as the state's first FIFA referee|publisher=supertalk.fm|first=Caleb|last=Salers|date=January 31, 2023|access-date=January 14, 2024}}</ref> She became the first woman from Mississippi to receive a national referee license from the [United States Soccer Federation](/source/United_States_Soccer_Federation) when she was 23 years old.<ref name="guardian" /> In January 2023, Pennington became the youngest Black woman, as well as the first woman from Mississippi, to earn a [FIFA](/source/FIFA) referee badge.<ref name="guardian" /><ref name="Andscape">{{Cite web|url=https://andscape.com/features/fifa-referee-alyssa-nichols-is-aiming-for-the-world-cup/|title=Alyssa Nichols is aiming for the World Cup|work=[Andscape](/source/Andscape)|first=Tamerra|last=Griffin|date=March 3, 2023|access-date=January 14, 2024}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Pennington has lived in [Tampa, Florida](/source/Tampa%2C_Florida), United States.<ref name=Andscape/> 

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*{{Sports links}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pennington, Alyssa}}
Category:Living people
Category:1996 births
Category:American soccer referees
Category:Women's association football referees
Category:Jackson State University alumni
Category:Sportspeople from Jackson, Mississippi
Category:National Women's Soccer League referees

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Alyssa Pennington](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alyssa_Pennington) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alyssa_Pennington?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.