No, Denise Daleman-Robinson won't be kicking the ball around with the best female soccer players in the world.

She will be among an even more select group of those in charge of enforcing the rules.

Daleman-Robinson, a 31-year-old teacher at Anderson Collegiate in Whitby, was informed last week by FIFA that she will be part of the officiating crew at the prestigious event being staged throughout the United States from Sept. 20 until Oct. 12.

She is one of just two Canadians and 36 worldwide to earn the honour.

"It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, that's for sure," says Daleman-Robinson, an assistant referee who will patrol the sidelines. "It's really exciting."

Daleman-Robinson leaves for Philadelphia on Sept. 17 for fitness testing and will be dispatched from there. Games in the 16-team tournament are being held in various locations, including Philly, Washington, Boston, Portland and Los Angeles.

"She's representing Whitby to the highest degree," says Gord Arrowsmith, the district referee co-ordinator for the Durham Region Soccer Association.

"I was on the FIFA list for 10 years and never got to a World Cup... This is absolutely huge."

Born and raised in Oshawa, Daleman-Robinson started playing soccer with Fernhill-Nipigon of the NASC park league and soon developed into an excellent player in her own right. At 14, she moved up to a higher level with Scarborough United and won a national championship in 1990.

Not long after officiating her first game in 1991, she realized she had a knack for it. She has since been to such major events as the Canada Summer Games, Under-19 Women's World Championships and, most recently, the Pan-Am Games in the Dominican Republic.

But, while she also holds out hope of reaching the Olympics someday, there will be no greater pinnacle than the one she is about to reach.

"This really is the ultimate goal," she says. "I don't think a lot of people in Canada realize what a big deal the World Cup is."

Although her job calls for objectivity, Daleman-Robinson admits to some excitement about the prospect of the Canadian entry, which is in a pool with Germany, Argentina and Japan.

She is quick to point out that she will not be permitted to officiate a game in that pool.

Daleman-Robinson will not only leave behind her students for the better part of a month, but also husband Stephen and two-year-old son Eric.

"It's a big commitment," she admits. "I'm trying to strike a balance."