All-female match officials for cup final
It's generally assumed that the sign of a good referee is when they are not noticed.
But that footballing adage will rightly be dismissed on Friday night, when four match officials take centre stage on an historic night for the Wolverhampton & District Sunday League.
Royal FC and Saint Michael meet at Wolverhampton Casuals' Brinsford Lane base to contest the Harry Round Cup final and, for the first time in the league's history, there will be an all-female crew officiating.
Lisa-Marie Lane will take charge of proceedings from the middle with Lucy Berridge and Emily Aldridge running the lines, while Zoe Birch takes on the role of fourth official.
The selections have been made by the league's referees appointments officer Phil Reade, and he is delighted to see girl power taking centre stage.
Reade said: "We have had female officials for finals before, but I thought it would be great to have all four of them take charge of a final.
"It's the first time this has happened in the league's history and they really deserve it. Lisa has been refereeing in the league for a few years and is very well respected.
"She has officiated many games and is a very good, experienced referee.
"But Emily, Lucy and Zoe are just starting out, really, and they have done exceptionally well and are making great progress."
Level Five ref Lane, 37, from Willenhall, has officiated in the league for five years and this will be her second cup final appointment, having run the line in last year's Ken Pemberton Cup final.
She also officiates in the West Midlands Regional League and will provide the experience alongside her trio of teenage assistants.
Perton-based Birch, 17, and Berridge, 17, from Codsall, are working towards achieving Level 6 status and cut their refereeing teeth in the Stourbridge and Bilston youth leagues.
Willenhall-based Aldridge, 18, is also a Level 7 ref and will be working towards promotion next season having gained experience in the Stourbridge League.
The teenagers all signed up for the Wolverhampton Sunday League this season to take up the daunting task of calling the shots in open-age football.
Their progress has thrilled Reade, who is also chairman of the Wolverhampton Referees' Association. He said: "Taking charge of games in open-age football is a whole new world for them.
"It's a lonely place out there as a referee. It's you against 22 players and refs don't have many friends.
"The feedback I have received from various clubs about the girls has been absolutely brilliant.
"I have received some wonderful emails and texts praising Emily, Lucy, and Zoe on their performances this season.
"There have been a lot of positive comments about how they have handled games and I have no doubt they will all do well in the future.
"All the girls attend the monthly RA meetings held at the Clarendon Hotel and are always happy to join in any discussions taking place, along with the other younger male referees who have joined us this season.
"I went to mentor Lucy a couple of weeks ago and she was phenomenal. She showed so much calmness.
"There was an incident where two players flew into a challenge and it could have led to an awkward moment.
"But she took them to one side, talked to them and they ended up shaking hands. It was brilliant to see."
Former Sunday morning footballer Reade, who has been officiating since 1997, has helped establish the Wolverhampton Referees' Association as the biggest in the country with 137 members.
Wolverhampton's Jack Taylor, who took charge of the 1974 World Cup final between West Germany and Holland, is their most famous member.
As the association continues to thrive, Reade is making sure the younger refs are looked after.
He said: "It's great to see the youngsters getting involved and as an association we are taking steps to mentor them.
"One of our refs, Chris Lunn, has done a brilliant job co-ordinating our mentoring scheme.
"Chris' son Jamie and Ajay Sharma also help ensure things run smoothly and take care of the IT side of things.
"We have a number of 16 and 17-year-olds who are officiating and taking charge of adult games can be quite daunting for them.
"We have refs who go out to watch and support them and pass on various bits of advice.
"Chris organises all that and he does a lot of hard work behind the scenes as well as taking charge of games in the league.
"We do whatever we can to help our referees progress and give them the support they need.
"We have got the biggest refs' association in the country and we have had some great guests come along and speak at our meetings.
"Kenny Jackett and former Wolves managers Mick McCarthy and Dave Jones have been along.
"John Moss, who refereed last season's FA Cup final, and Andre Mariner have also attended.
"I actually had an email from Andre saying how great it was to see four female referees at our meeting.
"Being a professional referee now is a great career and it would be fantastic to see some of our young refs follow in Jack Taylor's footsteps and make it to the very top."
Friday's Harry Round Cup final kicks off at 7pm. Admission is £3.
