The first woman to referee an NFL game was Shannon Eastin in the 2012 season when she was a replacement for an absent official. That’s right, 2012–only ten years ago. To put that in context, the NFL was established in 1920–102 years ago.

Female referees in the National Football League represent an important step for women in sports. Referees are trusted to make vital decisions that can affect the outcome of a game. Finally hiring women as referees breaks through long-standing barriers and stereotypes.

To become a referee in the NFL it takes hard work and time put into studying and experience calling lower level games. One has to go through classes, training, and pass tests to prove they are capable of such a responsibility. All of these requirements is nothing a woman can’t do.

The NFL has created Women Officiting Now (WON) that encourages and trains women for the position of referee. Sixteen women from WON have now refed college all star games.

On April 8, 2015, Sarah Thomas became the first woman hired as part of a full-time NFL officiating crew. In January 2019, Thomas became the first female referee to be an on-field ref for a play-off game when the New England Patriots played the Los Angeles Rams in a Divisional Round game. Before becoming a full-time referee, she refereed for the New Orlean Saints training camp practices. She started full-time as a line judge, and in 2017 she became a down judge, a position formerly known as a “head linesman.” The job title was changed to be more gender inclusive.

Before earning a job in the NFL, Thomas became the first woman to referee a major college football game and super bowl. She was part of the Memphis versus Jacksonville State game officiating crew in 2007. Two years later, she was offered a more permanent crew assignment and refed a full 11-game schedule.

With Thomas, the only other current female referee is Maia Chaka. She made history as the first black woman to officiate a National Football game. Chaka was a physical education and health teacher before becoming a referee. She switched careers to officiate full time for college football in NCAA’s Pac-12 conference and Conference USA. The first game she officiated for the NFL was New York Jets versus Carolina Panthers in September of 2021.

“This historic moment to me is an honor and it’s a privilege I’ve been chosen to represent women and women of color in the most popular sport in America, proving I can defy the odds and overcome,” Chaka said in a video from the NFL.

There have only been three women to referee in the NFL, all of whom have been hired in the past 10 years of the NFL’s total 102 years of gameplay. Only two of those women are still refereeing today.

It is important to acknowledge the barriers that stood in the way of women before them, while celebrating the progress that has been made. This is a step in the right direction towards destigmatizing the sports world but it will take a universal effort to even the playing field.

Sources:
https://operations.nfl.com/officiating/the-officials/officiating-development/women-officiating-now-won/

https://www.profootballnetwork.com/sarah-thomas-nfl-female-official/

https://www.thefocus.news/sports/nfl/how-many-female-referees-are-in-the-nfl-in-2021/