At last, women referees are here to fix men’s football

The beautiful game needs a woman’s touch, writes Gemma Abbott – not just to stop male grandstanding, but to help stem the exodus of officials from the sport

Welch’s appearance is unlikely to be celebrated by supporters (AP)

When Rebecca Welch steps onto the pitch at Craven Cottage next week she will be making history, becoming the first female referee to officiate a Premier League fixture. Not only that, but she might just be the kick up the proverbial that men’s top flight football so desperately needs.

However, Welch’s appearance is unlikely to be celebrated by supporters. Not because she’s a woman, but because the reputation of football officials is at such an all-time low that frankly there isn’t much that can drag it out of its doldrums. Welch might feel as if she’s entering a snake-pit rather than a football stadium next Friday.

It’s not a unique or recent phenomenon to English football. It’s just really, really bad right now. The recent incident between the president of Turkish club Ankaragucu and a match official – which led to the Turkish government having to step in to suspend all matches across the country – exemplifies the rising tide of anti-match official sentiment and despicable behaviour from a man in authority in football.

I’ve written before about the god complexes among some men in elite football. I was starting to wonder if it would ever get solved. Money, power, and celebrity combined with over-opinionated managers and players: football in this country really is a national disgrace.

Over recent seasons we’ve begun to see more and more overt criticism of match officials from club managers – Arteta, Klopp and Mourinho to name but a few of the most high-profile critics. They set a shockingly bad example – berating match officials on live TV in front of millions of football fans. These are men in positions of authority showing zero respect for authority themselves. What kind of message does that send to the players, and to the wider football community?

Which brings me to the solution: more women. Yes, women are the answer (to most things – but in this case, they definitely are). Put more women in charge of football matches. See what happens. I’d bet several things will change significantly.

Put a woman in charge of 22 men and watch the aggressive interactions between players and the match official disappear. In fact, I strongly suspect there will be less interaction overall with the referee. Male players will feel less inclined to get up close and personal with female refs.

It just wouldn’t look good, would it? Imagine a 6ft 4-inch player like Erling Haaland getting a bit hot-headed over a controversial decision. Is he less likely to rush up to the female official and use his stature to tower over her threateningly as he currently does? In reality, I think he’d still feel the urge, but I bet it would be dampened. It’s really not going to look great on the back pages of the papers the next morning, is it?

A more long-term outcome – and the one the FA will be praying for – is that more girls will start to consider refereeing as a genuine career choice. Football is struggling to find enough referees. It’s not an attractive option for many kids these days – for boys or for girls. Stand on the sidelines of many grassroots matches on a Sunday morning and you’re likely to witness some pretty unpleasant behaviour from parents and players towards the referee.

The FA is desperately trying to encourage more young people into the match official career path. But it’s no wonder the attrition rates are high – it’s a thankless role. Who wants to work hard for 90 minutes whilst enduring constant verbal – and sometimes even physical – abuse? No thank you. I certainly wouldn’t encourage my own kids to get into refereeing right now.

I think Welch’s high-profile appearance will make a real, tangible difference though. You only have to look at the increase in the number of girls joining local football clubs after the Lionesses won the Euros. Role models have a direct and clear impact on kids. If we start to see a positive impact from having women officiate top flight football, we will doubtless see interest in the profession rise among young girls.

I guess the proof will be in the (Christmas) pudding. I, for one, will be keenly watching Match of the Day next week to see what kind of reception Welch gets from the crowd, the players, the managers and the commentators. I’ve got a feeling it could be the start of a new and far more positive era in football match refereeing. It’s been a very long time coming.