The Nottinghamshire FA recently held its first female-only practical referees course when 17 candidates attended West Bridgford Colts FC on February 12, 13 and 14. The Valentine spirit hopefully captured their love for refereeing!

Blessed with fantastic weather for the first two days of the course, the girls embraced the practical tutoring out on the pitch to enhance their knowledge of the game from playing, to that of capable Level 9 referees with an enthusiasm to complete six matches and return to a next-step workshop to gain their full qualification.

Best practice and safety prior to kick-off was covered, before the girls were fortunate to receive FIFA Futuro practical training from guest instructor, FA Regional Manager Janie Frampton, on the skills of an assistant referee and the the infamous offside rule.

All on-field refereeing skills were gained through experience by each candidate, by refereeing part of a game whilst being shadowed by Notts FA Instructor Malcolm Cassidy and being guided into positions and recognising challenges as they would do in a match.

A visit from Sian Massey, a 22-year-old Level 3 referee, gave the girls an insight into what can be achieved in a short space of time, and whetted their appetite for more.

Finally, all 17 candidates successfully sat and passed their examinations to get the green light to embark on their refereeing careers!