Melis Özçiğdem

Melis Özçiğdem — Biography

Melis Özçiğdem was born on 26 October 1982 in the Konak district of İzmir. She began playing football with İzmir Öztürkspor, joined Ankara University's football team in 2001, and after a break from the Turkish Women's Football League between 2003 and 2006 returned to the game with Bucaspor in 2007, also earning caps for the Turkish women's national team. Alongside her playing career, she worked as a physical education teacher at a secondary school in İzmir's Karabağlar district.

After retiring as a player, Özçiğdem moved into refereeing and became a FIFA-listed official, working matches in the Regional Amateur League and the TFF Second and Third Leagues. She went on to referee UEFA's women's U17 and U19 Champions League matches in 2013 and 2014 and the UEFA Women's Champions League in 2019, and continued to receive regular international assignments from UEFA through the early 2020s.

In December 2025 she became the first woman to serve as a VAR official in the Ziraat Turkish Cup, and was subsequently named among the Süper Lig's top-tier match officials for the 2026 season.