‘Full authority to enforce the laws of the game’: blowing the whistle on women’s soccer refereeing in Wales, UK

Research on sports officiating has increased in volume, scope and geographical reach in recent years, with a growing interest in association football (soccer). However, studies on the officiating experiences of girls and women remain under-represented. This study provides a case-study of women’s refereeing in the hitherto unresearched context of Wales. Guided by a wide-ranging review of the extant literature, key themes and issues were explored in a series of six in-depth semi-structured interviews with active women referees at different levels from within the organizational competitive pyramid. The data yielded a familiar set of results consistent with other studies elsewhere, and a focus on referee recruitment and retention, micro and macro support for referees, the challenges of gaining acceptance as a woman referee, and dealing with abuse. There are clear implications for national governing bodies in terms of effective marketing of refereeing, attrition of referees, talent identification and career development in match officiating.