Earlier today we shared the W6N 2022 appointments with the images of the current crop of elite match officials.
It’s great to see the rise of the professional women’s game, and in those referees involved too. But, today, on International Women’s Day, what of those who went before them?
Despite what you might think or have read, we’ve had international female referees operating at the top of the game for decades. And, so it’s right that we celebrate their successes in reaching the glass ceilings that exist(ed) and smashed them ready for the current batch of officials to take advantage of.
There’ll be women out there I don’t know of, or I’ve overlooked, but (left to right in pic lower row) I look to Dana Teagarden (USA) and Gabriel Lee (HK) who vied to be the first women to oversee a men’s international. I believe Gabriel takes the accolade having refereed Kyrgyzstan vs Mongolia in Uzbekistan in the 2009 after being appointed by Asian Rugby. Dana, refereed Germany v Switzerland that year too and takes the mantle as the first iRB appointment – Netherlands v Hong Kong – in December 2010. Sadly a blizzard took the game out at the last minute.
As I was starting my refereeing, those ladies, and the likes of Joyce Henry (USA) was a familiar name on the lists, and then we had the likes of Alhambra Nievas (Spain) heading up the World Rugby charts in the mid-2010s alongside Joy Neville (Ire) – both again taking charge of men’s internationals. Locally, I was privileged to referee alongside and with Sarah Storey, Georgina Perrot (now Smith) in London, and of course the Somerset’s Clare Daniels who all burned their own refereeing paths.
And then we have Mrs Hilary Bradshaw of the Berkshire Society in England who, according to this 1976 newspaper article was the first female rugby referee. The original! She’d be in her early 70s now, and we’d love to catch up with her to hear her story. If you know her, or of her, let us know!
So, on behalf of us all, thank you for fighting the fight in your time, so others can shine now.
#IWD2022 #BreakTheBias #SeeItBeIt #HerStory
