WOMEN IN THE MIDDLE

I did get a glimpse of a female assistant referee today whilst watching Leceister City give their new manager a welcome present. Everton, also intending to give their new man a boost, were done by Vardy and co and none of the officials were to blame.

The lady in question is Sian Massey-Ellis MBE, an assistant referee at Premier League level, who was awarded her "gong" for services to football in the New Year's Honours list 2017. So good on her.
At 32 years old, a school teacher from Coventry, she turned professional in 2010, having made her first appearance in August 2009 at Hereford United v Port Vale.

In January 2011, her performance at Liverpool v Wolverhampton Wanderers prompted Andy Gray and Richard Keys to go all sexist and this led to their "Sky downfall". Reporter Andy Burton was suspended too.

Sian was removed from officiating for a while as the PGMOB predicted that her appearance at matches after this controversy would detract from the state of the game. Her first game back was in February 2011 at Chesterfield v Aldershot in League 2 on the line and soon she was back in business helping Howard Webb along in the PL at Blackpool.

She was appointed to the select group of match officials and hence there she was at the King Power. So far her involvement in international football has been with Women's tournaments (Euros and World Cup) as an assistant ("lino" as we used to call it).

Prior to Sian, Wendy Toms, a parcel post manager, was reffing and assisting in the Football League and PL in 1994-7 and from 1996 to present reffing in the Conference and then as a Premier league assistant up to 2007. She is 55 and still reffing Conference games.

Amy Fearn made the Football League grade by being the first women to referee a league game in February 2010, when she took over when the main referee strained a calf muscle in the game between Coventry and Nottingham Forest. I think Mike Newell also had a few words to say about her performance in his Luton Town match against QPR over the non-awarding of a penalty. He was fined etc and apologised unreservedly.

http://you-are-the-ref.com/wendy-toms-exclusive-call-wish-id-received-ten-years-ago/  this says a bit more about our ladies and actually is quite a good website to get on if you want to be THE REF.