You can't applaud a referee.
Alex Ferguson
This football fan begs to differ. After all the struggles for legitimacy women have - and continue to undergo in this sport, these referees deserve a bit of applause. To this day, big names in football - Sam Kerr, Megan Rapinoe and others, still fight for visibility and equality in this sport.
Nowhere is that disparity more obvious than in the search for information on female referees in football. It takes a lot more poking around to find those names, and the list is far shorter than their male counterparts'. Still, the category 'Female Ref Football' is not without contenders. These female referees are making football history:
| Referee | Where they're from | Why so famous? |
|---|---|---|
| Sonia Denoncourt | Canada | She became the first FIFA-accredited female referee. (1994) |
| Rebecca Welch | England | She is the first Premier League female referee (2023) |
| Salima Mukansanga | Rwanda | She is the first woman to referee Africa Cup (2022). |
| Bibiana Steinhaus | Germany | She is the First female referee in Bundesliga history (2017-18). |
| Kateryna Monzul | Ukraine | She was voted IFFHS's #2 best female referee (2014) |
| Stéphanie Frappart | France | She's racked up a long list of firsts for female referees! |
| Sian Massey-Ellis | England | She is an assistant referee in the Premier League (since 2009). |
| Yoshimi Yamashita | Japan | She became Japan's first female referee (2015) |
Sonia Denoncourt
Sonia Denoncourt paved the way for future female referees in football. She started officiating matches at just 14 years old and went on to become the first woman to earn FIFA accreditation as a referee. These were remarkable achievements, especially in the 1970s, a time when 'Women's Football' was virtually nonexistent.
1978: began refereeing; went pro in 1986.
1994: became the first FIFA-accredited female referee.
1996: refereed the first-ever Olympic female football match.
1997: Became the first female referee to oversee a men's professional football match (Brazil). 2000: Denoncourt was one of nine officials to referee the Olympic matches (Sydney).
Denoncourt stirred controversy wherever she went, especially in her early referee days. However, as her reputation grew, she became nearly as big a draw as the matches she officiated. After a nearly 20-year career, she retired from refereeing. Today,she leads FIFA's Women's Referee Development Program, creating courses to teach others how to become a referee.
Rebecca Welch
Rebecca Welch
Sonia forged a path for women to officiate at football matches, and Rebecca extended it. Her road to this position was convoluted, to say the least. Now, after having officiated all over the world - and, most recently, during the Olympics, her future as a female referee football is assured.
2010: first forays into referring
2017: refereed the Women's FA Cup finals.
2018: began refereeing men's National League matches.
2020: UEFA adds Rebecca to their 'official referee' list for international games.
2023: appointed to officiate the Women's World Cup.
Rebecca is a lifelong football lover, having played since she was a child. However, pragmatism won out; she established herself in a career with the National Health Service (NHS). Indeed, she kept that administrative role for her first nine years as a football referee.
Salima Mukansanga
Salima Mukansanga
Salima Mukansanga is a trailblazing Rwandan football referee who has made history as one of the top female officials in the sport. Known for her calm authority and excellent decision-making, she became the first African woman to officiate at the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2019.
Mukansanga reached another milestone in 2022 when she became the first woman to referee at the men’s Africa Cup of Nations. Her groundbreaking career has inspired many, and she continues to be a prominent figure in both women's and men's football officiating on the international stage.
Bibiana Steinhaus
Bibiana Steinhaus-Webb
Like the next referee on our list, Bibiana could hardly escape a career in football. Her father dedicated his life to the sport, enjoying a long stint as a player before becoming a referee. Bibiana entered the pitch as a player at her local club, SV Bad Lauterberg. Upon earning her German Football Association referee credentials, she began officiating regional, then national matches.
2001: first outing as a main referee
2007: first woman referee for men's league matches
2017: selected to referee the UEFA Women's Champions League Final (in Cardiff).
Bibiana Steinhaus has suffered her share of insult and abuse. Once, a player received a five-game suspension for making sexist comments about her, after she red-carded him. A particularly stinging insult came when Iran cancelled their broadcast of a Bundesliga match, because she was refereeing.
Kateryna Monzul
Kateryna Volodymyrivna Monzul
Kateryna Monzul began her referee career when she was 24, in her native Ukraine. She grew up playing football, and her whole family were fans. Like Ms Welch, the first female ref Premier League, Kateryna broke new ground as a female referee.
2007: refereed her first international match (Finland-Poland)
2015: Women's World Cup main referee debut
2023: appointment to the Women's World Cup referee pool.
After fleeing her native country in 2022, she first headed to Germany and then, set up her base in Italy. Today, she referees high-profile matches around the world. Her 2022 England stint marked her fourth appearance at a EURO final tournament. Doesn't Kateryna's record make you wonder how much referees earn?
Stéphanie Frappart
Stéphanie Frappart
Stéphanie is remarkable for all the firsts she set in female football refereeing. She was the first female to referee a French Ligue 1 match, as well as a major men's European match. Another first for women in football Stéphanie achieved: officiating a UEFA Champions League match. She's also the first woman to referee a men's World Cup match, leading an all-female referee team.
2011: Championnat National referee
2015: Women's World Cup referee (Canada)
2020: first female referee, UEFA Champions League.
2019: First woman to officiate in a major Europe men's match (UEFA Super Cup).
2021: first female to referee a FIFA World Cup qualifying match.
2022: first female to officiate at a men's FIFA World Cup event.
Stéphanie started refereeing her youth league games when she was 13. Her skill and drive saw her officiating Under-19 (U-19) matches across France within five years. She soon advanced to refereeing Division 3 matches and, in 2014, became the first female referee to France's Ligue 2. She's destined to become one of the Top 10 football referees of all time.
Sian Massey-Ellis
Sian Louise Massey-Ellis
Sian Massey-Ellis is a trailblazing figure in football refereeing, known for her pioneering role as a female official in a male-dominated sport, she typically serves as an assistant referee, which means she knows both sets of referee hand signals, and all the game's rules.
She began her journey as a referee in 1999 at the age of 14. Her hard work and dedication saw her rapidly progress through the ranks, and by 2010, she became a FIFA-listed assistant referee, allowing her to officiate in top international competitions.
2009: appointed as 4th official for the FA Women's Cup Final
2009: became a FIFA-listed assistant referee.
2011: Women's World Cup assistant referee.
2017: assistant referee for the UEFA Women's Euro event.
2018: assistant referee at the UEFA Women's Champions League Final
2019: assistant referee, Women's World Cup.
Like our other female referees, Sian has had to contend with abuse and insults. In 2019, two presenters caused a hot mic incident, which cost Sian three matches. And, like Bibiana, she's suffered censorship when her matches broadcast overseas. Sian says none of that matters; her biggest worry is remaining fit and keeping up with the game.
Yoshimi Yamashita
Yoshimi Yamashita, born in February 1986 in Japan, began her refereeing career in 2016 and quickly earned recognition for her skill and composure on the pitch. In 2019, she made history as one of the first women to officiate in the AFC Cup, a men’s continental competition in Asia, marking a significant milestone for female referees.
Her career continued to break barriers when, in 2022, she became one of the first women, alongside Stéphanie Frappart and Salima Mukansanga, to be appointed as referees for the men’s FIFA World Cup in Qatar. In addition to her World Cup achievements, Yamashita was also selected to officiate at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
2019: officiates at the FIFA Women's World Cup.
2020: refereed the Tokyo Olympic matches.
2022: one of the first three women to officiate at the men’s World Cup.
2024: official Paris Olympics referee.
Around the world, women are making great strides in football refereeing. Soon, female football referees will not be a curiosity, but a common occurrence. The trailblazers on this list - and many others, will teach them everything they need to know about refereeing.
Enjoyed this article? Leave a rating!
Loading...
