Female refs want to Be the Difference, Create a History & Inspire the Future
With more and more women taking up the whistle, the first-ever #MyEverest event was run recently by England Rugby’s Match Official Development Team at St George’s Park, Staffordshire.
All involved were determined to to Be the Difference - Create a History - Inspire the Future, and match officials left aiming to achieve all three, taking what they had learned back to inspire others.
Celebrating the achievements of female referees at every level and helping them to identify and reach their goals was the aim over the weekend event.
As the match officials enjoyed hearing from Olympic gold medal hockey player Helen Richardson-Walsh and FA match official Stacey Fullicks, they were joined by female match officials from both the Welsh and Scottish Rugby Unions. Scottish professional referee, Hollie Davidson, who this year refereed with the first all-female team for a men’s Test when Italy played Portugal sent a video message from Canada.
Rugby for women and girls is growing at a pace, and England Rugby is investing heavily in female volunteers as well as the whole female game.
Fitness, psychology and confidence building
Everyone enjoyed hearing from strength and conditioning specialist Alex Reid and sports psychologist Chris Bodman, as well as executive and maternity coach Nicki Young who has been working with some female volunteers throughout the year on building confidence.
Match Official Developers Leonie Pryor, Andrew Small, Owen Taylor and Gareth Thomas led interactive workshops, supported by some key female referee volunteers. Andy Silvey, personal trainer and former Marine, focused on nutrition and with Leonie also led a practical session on the required referee fitness test. This being in a female-friendly environment, it saw some of the previously reluctant women involved in the test for the first time.
Sharing experiences and ideas with friends from the Scottish and Welsh Rugby Union, camaraderie grew throughout the weekend, with an anthem sing-off, topped off with an impromptu ceilidh on Saturday evening.
Pledged to make a difference
Claire Antcliffe, the Match Official Developer running the even, said: “The energy and drive from everyone was reflected in comments on our #MyEverest wall. Each match official now has her own personal goals for officiating and has pledged to make a difference in her officiating environment to support and celebrate more female officials in the future, and that’s across England, Scotland and Wales.
“Currently about 10% of officials involved in Referee Societies or courses are female and we very much want to build on that number. From women’s feedback we know that being a referee is empowering, builds confidence, and keeps a lasting involvement in rugby while giving something back to the game. All of that while keeping fit and having fun is a great reason to become a match official."
