Christine Forsythe Level 5 referee on her trip to St Georges Park.

I always remember Jon Moss at a County Cup Final Seminar back in 2014 telling the referees who had been given a 4^th official appointment not to be disappointed. So when I opened an email informing me of my appointment as 4^th Official on the Women’s Super League Development League Final; disappointed, no way, more over the moon. To top it all the game was to be played at St Georges Park, somewhere I never thought I’d go. And the teams…. Manchester City versus Birmingham City.   

As you can imagine the day was brilliant. I met up with the team on arrival, Emily the referee, Vera and Abi the assistants and then it was down to business, pre match, warm up and getting those balls pumped up.

We led the teams out, met the dignitaries, had our photos taken and sang the national anthem.

I performed my 4^th Official duties well after intense practise with the electronic board prior to the game. I handled the benches, dealt with the substitutions, held up the board at the right time with the right numbers and as reserve referee watched how the referee managed the game….just in case!

Both teams played some excellent football on the Wembley turf and despite a 3-1 score line to Manchester City, Birmingham City battled hard so it wasn’t an easy victory.

I felt honoured and amazed that it was me there, part of the WSL as a Level 5 referee. The buzz you get from being part of a team on an occasion like this is fantastic.

The women’s game is growing all the time and the opportunities for female officials are huge. If you have the enthusiasm, work hard, show commitment, improve your game and perform to your best then you can achieve and be a part of that team at the top of the game.

In 2018 I went to SGP for the WSL Cup Final….where can you go? 

If you are interested in becoming a referee or want further support to develop, please contact Mark or James at West Riding County FA.