From playing in the Genero Adran Premier as goalkeepers, Gemma Border and Erin Brennan have now reached the top of refereeing in women’s football in Wales as they will form part of the match officials team for Sunday’s Genero Adran Trophy Final.
Border won several trophies with Swansea City in her career and will referee the final, with former Barry Town United star Brennan the Fourth Official for the game.
Having transitioned to officiating, Border and Brennan spoke about the move to being referees and how playing the game has helped their new chapters.
“I wasn’t ready to give up football completely,” Border said. “When you’ve been in football as long as I have, it’s very difficult just to give that up when you retire from playing.
“But I didn’t want to go into coaching. I remember when I was still playing, complaining to one of the refs that was on our game, saying that we always had poor referees. There was a stigma around it of who wants to referee women’s football, and he said to me that you should do it.
“He was a very good player and he got injured, but he went into refereeing, and he feels that made him a better ref. That’s why I went into refereeing because I wanted the referees to be better, not just for women’s football but for football in general.
“When you’ve played football, you understand football more. You understand what players are trying to do when they’re playing.”
“It’s to stay within the game,” Brennan explained. “I wanted to give something back to a sport which has given me so much.
“When I went and had a look at different routes which could do that, refereeing seemed to be the most practical one for me. It provided that level of fitness but most importantly gave me that opportunity to still work within a team.
“I’m able to understand what players are thinking, why they’ve gone into a challenge, and then explain the laws of the game to them because when you’re a player, I was probably one of the people to be caught out by them. The more you understand them, it makes playing easier, and it makes it a more enjoyable experience for both the referee and the players.”
All four officials for Sunday’s game are women, with Assistant Referees Laura Roberts and Katie Hannah alongside Border and Brennan.
“It’s great to see an all-woman’s team, but I don’t think gender should come into it. It should be that your good for the job and you’re the best person,” Border said.
Become a Referee
“I know there are men out there that have refereed women’s games and they’ve done it for years because they see the progression and they see women’s football getting better.
“For me I just hope we’re the best team for the job. That comes from my playing days, you want the best person to do that role, so hopefully I can be that person.
“I do get a lot of positive comments, I get complaints, it works across the board. The most memorable one I had was years back when I first started refereeing, I did a local men’s game. One of the players said to me, ‘what do you know about football then?’ I brushed it off, got on with it, and after the game he apologised to me and said you were the best ref we’ve ever had. It’s breaking that stigma around it. Just because I’m a woman, my gender doesn’t come into it.
“I want to keep refereeing as long as I’m enjoying it, regardless of where I end up. I just want to be able to enjoy it, because as soon as I stop enjoying it, it becomes hard work.”
Brennan spoke on the opportunities for woman referees: “It’s a huge time to be a female referee in Wales, and everything that is happening, it’s an exciting period we’re going through with all the opportunities and development.
“When I played we had Charlotte Carpenter and Michelle Portelli, and they were the two that I saw quite regularly within the Genero Adran Leagues. It’s actually nice to go and be on the other side and be in their team now, and look at what they’ve achieved, and aspire to that.
“I’ve made some really good friends through refereeing, especially through the Adran Leagues Referee Academy, with Matty J [Matt Johnson] as my mentor. Without that support from other referees, I think I would’ve stepped away from it. It’s a supportive environment.
“My playing career didn’t end where I wanted it to with injuries. I want to take it as far as I can, and the support I’m getting, it makes that a possibility. There’s exciting opportunities happening with Ceri Williams involved, I talk to Ceri quite a bit on what she’s achieved.”
Sunday’s Genero Adran Trophy showpiece will see Wrexham and Cardiff City battle it out for the first silverware of the season.
“I think it will be a great game,” Border said. Both teams can play great football. It will be nice to see what happens on the day. Both teams have done really well to get where they are, so they both deserve to be there.”
On being selected for the game, Brennan said: “Sunday’s a huge game, it’s a privilege to be selected on it. It shows that you can make that transition from playing and still achieve a top level of refereeing in Wales. Just because you no longer play, doesn’t mean you can’t be involved.”
“It’s something I’m proud of but also quite nervous for. It’s a challenge I’m looking forward to.”
