The Women’s Super League referee didn’t think a career behind the whistle was for her. She shares why she changed her mind, to mark World Mental Health Day
“A player will play a worldie of a pass or make a stunning challenge and that’ll end up on social media,” says the Women’s Super League referee Emily Heaslip. “That doesn’t happen for us. There’s never going to be a clip of a referee, talking about a fantastic decision that’s been made. Football doesn’t work like that, and that’s fine, it’s right. We understand that the game is not about us, but it means we’ve got to find our own ways of being happy with performances while also blocking out the noise when people are quick to judge when things don’t go so well.”
Being a referee is extraordinarily difficult, a mental and physical challenge akin to the niche sport chess boxing, where a round of boxing is followed by a round of chess. Then, there is the scrutiny. Make a mistake and the spotlight can be brutal. To be a referee you have to be made of strong stuff, embodying mental toughness on the pitch and maintaining it off the pitch.
Continue reading…The Women’s Super League referee didn’t think a career behind the whistle was for her. She shares why she changed her mind, to mark World Mental Health Day“A player will play a worldie of a pass or make a stunning challenge and that’ll end up on social media,” says the Women’s Super League referee Emily Heaslip. “That doesn’t happen for us. There’s never going to be a clip of a referee, talking about a fantastic decision that’s been made. Football doesn’t work like that, and that’s fine, it’s right. We understand that the game is not about us, but it means we’ve got to find our own ways of being happy with performances while also blocking out the noise when people are quick to judge when things don’t go so well.”Being a referee is extraordinarily difficult, a mental and physical challenge akin to the niche sport chess boxing, where a round of boxing is followed by a round of chess. Then, there is the scrutiny. Make a mistake and the spotlight can be brutal. To be a referee you have to be made of strong stuff, embodying mental toughness on the pitch and maintaining it off the pitch. Continue reading…
