The FA women supporting the growth of refereeing in England

We started by asking them how much progress they have seen in the women’s pathway during their time in the game.

“It has changed massively,” says Gemma Langford, event coordinator and development fixture appointments officer.

“I’m now in my 18th season in football and, when I first started, no thought was given about having a female or U18 female changing rooms for referees, whereas now we always take that into consideration because of the numbers coming into the system, which is really good to see.

“We ran an event recently where we had around 230 referees split across four different events. Whilst women are in the minority at these events, there was still a significant number.”

Emily Carney, a FIFA-listed assistant referee and national talent manager for women’s refereeing at The FA, says she has seen these numbers translate to an increased talent pool of female match officials in England.

“There has been significant improvement in opportunities to help match officials going through the female pathway to reach the top level. We always try to test our referees as much as possible and expose them to new environments. That ranges from giving them development games at the next level, or FA Cup games involving Tier 2 teams against a Tier 3 or 4 team. There are also opportunities to officiate female international games at youth level, showing them it’s not just the match that they have to manage, but the occasion too.”

A key figure in helping referees through the pathway and providing opportunities is women’s game appointments officer, Carla Parker. Carla has been involved in grassroots football in a variety of roles, including Welfare Officer, League Secretary and Referee Secretary, and has always been keen to use her voice to ensure women and girls are included in football.

“Going back 10 years, you would be unheard in a committee meeting as the only female," she explains. “However, times have changed and everybody accepts people for who they are and take on board other opinions. A lot of women are highly educated in football and are in important positions.”

Despite the strides that have been made in opening up the game in recent years, national referee officer for development & progression and FIFA match official, Sophie Dennington, says women still face barriers today.

“With football generally being a male-dominated environment, people may look at you differently. There are a lot of people who will see a young female like me and think, ‘she doesn’t look credible.’ This attitude can be daunting for women who work in football. So it’s the game’s responsibility to ensure women feel empowered to get into the sport, and that they can go on to have careers in key decision-making areas. I never mention my refereeing role in my ‘FA’ work. I am employed because I am good at my role and have worked my way up, not because I'm a female referee given a position. When I speak to female referees up and down the country, I always stress to them that they are a role model for young girls in the game. Even if you are early in the pathway, those girls playing football on park pitches will see you as a potential mentor and give them a goal to strive towards. You are a paving the way for the next generation!”

Emily adds, “Why should young girls have barriers put in front of them simply because they love the game? It’s not just about empowering women and girls; it’s about educating everyone that girls and boys can operate in the same space.”

Gemma is quick to point out that abuse does not just affect young girls, but boys too.

“If you’re a young referee coming through, male or female, that is very affronting and it comes down to your personality and how you deal with that. It’s not just about being female, it’s a culture around football that we have to improve. It’s as upsetting for a male referee as it is a young female.”

Carla highlights the importance of referees being picked for matches because they are right for the game. “We don’t look at gender, we look at who is right for the game – male or female,” she says.

“Of course, we want more female officials coming through, but with the women’s pathway generally being a lot quicker than the male pathway, we want to do it at the right speed to ensure everyone is comfortable.”

Gemma also outlines the importance of ensuring opportunities are merit-based both on and off the pitch. “I have worked hard to get where I am and to earn respect from colleagues, I think that rather than pushing women into roles as an exercise, if we can support women much earlier in the journey by offering development opportunities and training, that is the best route to ensure equal outcomes. We want the exact same opportunities offered to an 18-year-old female referee as there would be for an 18-year-old male referee starting their role in football. That is how we keep everything fair.”

Carla adds: “It’s about opportunities and wanting to be judged equally against all colleagues - it doesn’t matter if you are working in the female game or male game, you need to have the same mentality and professionalism.”

Sophie says that, whilst she has seen an increase in support, there is more work to be done.

"I think we still need more touchpoints for female referees,” she explains. “We are looking to build on the recent progress we have made to ensure female referees are supported both locally and nationally.”

Emily shares her optimism for the future of female participation in refereeing. “The glass ceiling has been smashed. The visibility is getting much better for female referees in football, particularly the ones that have come through the pathway and are now operating at the top level.”