Amy Rayner
Encyclopedia
Amy Fearn is an English
football referee from Loughborough
, Leicestershire
, who in 2010 became the first woman to referee in The Football League
. With a degree in economics
and a full time career in accountancy
, having also refereed football since age 14, she became only the second woman after Wendy Toms
to rise to the position of assistant referee in English professional football
. On 9 February 2010 she became the first woman to act as the main referee in a Football League
match.
, where, as a girl, she expressed a desire to play football with her brother. However, she grew frustrated at the lack of opportunities to play because no girls' football facilities were available at the time. When she was 13, her father went on a course to gain a qualification as a referee, something which inspired Rayner to do the same. She qualified just after her 14th birthday. Being under 16 meant she could only referee those at under 12 level, something which she did for two years. When she became 16, the restriction was lifted, and she began refereeing in the Midland Football Alliance
before being promoted to the Football Conference
, aged 26. Around this time, she was given responsibilities as an assistant referee, also being appointed to the FIFA
assistants' list in 2005. She balances her football officiating duties with a full-time job as a Management Accountant for Santander in Leicester
. In 2006, aged 28, she expressed a desire to move up to the Football League
.
On 9 February 2010 Fearn became the first woman to take full control of a Football League match as the match referee. The original referee Tony Bates
suffered a calf strain, and Fearn, as senior assistant on the day took over for the last 20 minutes of Coventry's 1-0 Championship win over Nottingham Forest at the Ricoh Arena
.
made controversial comments about Rayner, who was the assistant in their game against Queens Park Rangers
, which Luton lost 3-2. Angry with the official's decision not to award Luton a penalty, Newell said "She shouldn't be here. I know that sounds sexist but I am sexist. This is not park football, so what are women doing here?". The FA promised to investigate, with Neale Barry
saying "English football needs more Amy Rayners". Newell later apologised, saying, "My apology to Amy Rayner, and to anyone I've offended, is unreserved. I was out of order and she has accepted it". Newell was fined a total of £6,500 and given a warning by his club.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
football referee from Loughborough
Loughborough
Loughborough is a town within the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England. It is the seat of Charnwood Borough Council and is home to Loughborough University...
, Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
, who in 2010 became the first woman to referee in The Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
. With a degree in economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
and a full time career in accountancy
Accountancy
Accountancy is the process of communicating financial information about a business entity to users such as shareholders and managers. The communication is generally in the form of financial statements that show in money terms the economic resources under the control of management; the art lies in...
, having also refereed football since age 14, she became only the second woman after Wendy Toms
Wendy Toms
Wendy Toms is an English football referee from Broadstone, Poole, Dorset, who has officiated in the Football League and then the Premier League, both as assistant referee. She was the first female ever to fulfil such roles at those levels. She also served for FIFA on the women's international list...
to rise to the position of assistant referee in English professional football
Football in England
Association football is a national sport in England, where the first modern set of rules for the code were established in 1863, which were a major influence on the development of the modern Laws of the Game...
. On 9 February 2010 she became the first woman to act as the main referee in a Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
match.
Career
She grew up in StaffordshireStaffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
, where, as a girl, she expressed a desire to play football with her brother. However, she grew frustrated at the lack of opportunities to play because no girls' football facilities were available at the time. When she was 13, her father went on a course to gain a qualification as a referee, something which inspired Rayner to do the same. She qualified just after her 14th birthday. Being under 16 meant she could only referee those at under 12 level, something which she did for two years. When she became 16, the restriction was lifted, and she began refereeing in the Midland Football Alliance
Midland Football Alliance
The Midland Football Alliance is an English association football league for semi-professional teams. It covers Leicestershire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, West Midlands, Worcestershire and also southern parts of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire...
before being promoted to the Football Conference
Football Conference
The Football Conference is a football league in England which consists of three divisions called Conference National, Conference North, and Conference South. Some Football Conference clubs are fully professional, such as Luton Town, but most of them are semi-professional...
, aged 26. Around this time, she was given responsibilities as an assistant referee, also being appointed to the FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
assistants' list in 2005. She balances her football officiating duties with a full-time job as a Management Accountant for Santander in Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
. In 2006, aged 28, she expressed a desire to move up to the Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
.
On 9 February 2010 Fearn became the first woman to take full control of a Football League match as the match referee. The original referee Tony Bates
Tony Bates
Tony Bates is President of the Skype Division at Microsoft. He is responsible for overseeing the company’s direction, strategy and overall mission to become a global communications platform that will eventually reach billions of users....
suffered a calf strain, and Fearn, as senior assistant on the day took over for the last 20 minutes of Coventry's 1-0 Championship win over Nottingham Forest at the Ricoh Arena
Ricoh Arena
The Ricoh Arena , home to Coventry City F.C., is a stadium complex situated in the Rowleys Green district of the city of Coventry, England containing a 32,609 seater football stadium, a 6,000 square-metre exhibition hall, a hotel, a leisure club, and a casino...
.
Mike Newell
In November 2006, Luton Town manager Mike NewellMike Newell (footballer)
Michael Colin "Mike" Newell is an English football manager and former professional footballer. As a player he notably was a member of the Blackburn Rovers team which won the Premier League in 1995, as well also playing for Crewe Alexandra, Wigan Athletic, Luton Town, Leicester City, Everton,...
made controversial comments about Rayner, who was the assistant in their game against Queens Park Rangers
Queens Park Rangers F.C.
Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years...
, which Luton lost 3-2. Angry with the official's decision not to award Luton a penalty, Newell said "She shouldn't be here. I know that sounds sexist but I am sexist. This is not park football, so what are women doing here?". The FA promised to investigate, with Neale Barry
Neale Barry
-External links:* at soccerbase.com...
saying "English football needs more Amy Rayners". Newell later apologised, saying, "My apology to Amy Rayner, and to anyone I've offended, is unreserved. I was out of order and she has accepted it". Newell was fined a total of £6,500 and given a warning by his club.
External links
- Amy Rayner Referee Statistics at soccerbase.com