First UEFA Women’s Referee Symposium targets stronger pathways for female officials

UEFA has staged its inaugural Women’s Referee Symposium at its headquarters in Nyon, convening women’s refereeing leads from across Europe to share practical measures aimed at recruiting more officials and keeping them in the game. The event centred on how national associations can build more sustainable pathways and create the “best possible environment” for female match officials, with discussions spanning everything from onboarding and mentoring to pregnancy and return-to-play support.UEFA Referees Committee member Dagmar Damková said: “This Women’s Referee Symposium is not about speeches, but about practical exchange. This is the perfect moment to move women’s refereeing among national associations in Europe even higher – we want to be even better.“Remember, the next generation of female referees will not judge us by our intentions, but they will judge us by what we built for them. I was there many years ago – we dreamed about what’s possible for referees nowadays. It was impossible back then but now we can achieve even more, so let’s give them that opportunity.”UEFA said the symposium comes against a backdrop of rising participation but uneven distribution. During the 2024/25 season, 18,524 female match officials were registered across Europe’s 55 national associations, a 4.4% increase on the previous season, though 69% of that total came from just six countries.Recruitment sessions included a case study from Belgium, where a new campaign has focused on creating a welcoming first impression, running a structured onboarding process, following up consistently with new referees, and improving the visibility of female role models at the start of the pathway. Delegates also examined lead generation and targeted messaging, including social media activity and outreach to schools and universities, alongside the importance of proactive follow-up with prospective candidates.Retention was addressed through both performance support and policy changes. UEFA highlighted a presentation on holistic wellbeing for elite female officials covering the menstrual cycle, sleep, hydration and nutrition, as well as the importance of appropriate equipment including a well-fitting sports bra. Delegates also discussed tools such as mentoring schemes, improved safeguarding measures, dual-career flexibility and clearer progression pathways.Norway’s approach to supporting referees through motherhood was presented as a model for tackling drop-off after having children. UEFA outlined how the Norwegian Football Federation has introduced a framework that allows referees to freeze their rankings during maternity leave while continuing to receive financial support and access to physical and mental coaching, with a six-to-12-month window after giving birth to pass the women’s referee fitness test. UEFA said Norway now has 424 female referees, including 46 across the top two divisions of women’s football, up from 113 in 2015 and 203 by 2019.The programme also explored women’s health more broadly, and included a panel on fitness standards when women officiate in men’s competitions, with contributors including Stéphanie Frappart and Cheryl Foster, alongside discussion of structured support for pregnancy return-to-play.