Women are not just playing football - they are also taking charge on the pitch. Women’s Editor Maria Cusine reports on the Black Country ladies training to be referees.
“When do you award an in-direct free kick?” referee development officer Dave Nixon asks the line-up of match officials in the making.
From foul play and free kicks and penalties to getting out the red card, these football referee hopefuls from across the Black Country are getting to grips with the laws of the beautiful game.
They are all taking part in a referee training course at Birmingham County FA in Great Barr. But they won’t become men in black. If they qualify, this group will become women in black.
The group of 14-year-olds to thirtysomethings standing by this touchline are all females. And their love of football - they are all keen players - has spurred them on to learn more about the game.
There has been a rapid rise in women’s football in recent years - replacing netball as the most popular participation sport in the UK for females.
But there are only 60 women out of around 1,500 registered referees officiating at various levels throughout Birmingham and the Black Country.
Hence the reason the FA wants to boost the numbers.
Black Country mother and daughter, Joanne and Kim Haynes, plan to do just that, after signing up for the female-only referee course.
The Quarry Bank pair are football-mad. Kim plays for Withymoor Colts Girls Under 15s in Stourbridge Youth League while Joanne coaches the team.
And the family connection continues with Joanne’s husband Paul, who is manager of the team, while son Keiran, 10, plays for Withymoor Colts Under 11s.
It was Kim’s and Keiran’s interest in football that prompted 37-year-old Joanne to get involved.
“The children have always loved playing football, from a kickaround in the park to playing for Withymoor Colts.
“Kim first started playing for the Under 9s and I decided to get involved around four years ago. I think it’s a great game. Boys and girls love it and they really enjoy the competitive side of it,” she adds.
“Football is a great sport for girls. I know some may always think of it as a man’s game, but times have changed and many local leagues are developing girls teams as there is so much interest in it. It’s a great form of physical fitness, but ultimately it’s a game they enjoy playing,” says Joanne, who when not coaching the girls football, spends her time running a kindergarten in Stourbridge.
Daughter Kim, 14, much prefers the sport to netball. “It’s a great team sport and very physical and I get a great buzz out of it,” she says.
“I’m taking PE at GCSE and I would love to move into professional women’s football eventually. By taking part in the referee course I hope to pick up more skills.”
Carly Webber, 22, of Walsall, has just completed a degree in PE at Wolverhampton University and hopes to work in sport development.
“I’ve been playing football since I was 10 or 11,” says Carly, who currently plays for Reedswood Ladies FC in Walsall. “But as I hope to work in sports development I’m keen to gain more knowledge about the laws of the game. While girls playing football nowadays is the norm, there is a big gap that needs to be filled by female referees.”
Does she think you need a thick skin to do the job?
“Refs do get some grief from both the players and fans and I think initially it may be a little bit intimidating walking up to a middle-aged man in a semi professional game and sending him off - but it all comes down to confidence,” adds Carly.
Ultimately the task of the referee - male or female - can be a thankless one. While many females will referee at the local grassroots level, others may wish to pursue it as a career.
Amy Rayner, who hails from Staffordshire, is one of the FA’s leading female referees - but even she came under attack from a self-confessed sexist football manager two years ago. After his team lost, the then Luton Town manager Mike Newell lashed out at female officials - he did later apologise.
“At the end of the day, the referee always upsets 11 people - that goes with the territory of being referee,” says Dave Nixon, one of three instructors running the course at Great Barr.
Dave, who has been a referee since 1976, says the key to success is good man-management skills. “You need to be able to communicate to a cross-section of people,” he says.
Jane Huffer, 42, of Bearwood, has been a referee for 15 years. “Getting stick does come with the territory, but I prefer to look at it as lighthearted banter. Things are said in the heat of the moment and that’s it. And I think being a female can help in tense situations. A player can be about to blow his top but thinks again when he realises you are a woman.
“That’s not to say that always happens.
“I’ve been labelled the worst ref ever in some games - while I’ve been the best ref ever for others.
“You are never going to please all the players - or all the fans,” she says.
And that’s official!
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