More women referees are making their mark at the top of the men’s side of football. This weekend Maria Sole Ferrieri Caputi is shattering another glass ceiling as she becomes the first woman to referee a match in Serie A in the league’s history.
Caputi will take charge of the Sassuolo vs. Salernitana clash on Sunday, 2 October 2022, at the Mapei Stadium, following the 31 year old’s appointment by Serie A ahead of the 2022-23 season.
“It’s not an ordinary day and I’m also moved by it,” said Alfredo Trentalange, president of the referees’ governing body in Italy. “Maria Sole will debut in Serie A on merit, without any shortcuts, for her ability and skills.
“We’re about to experience a historic moment after more than 110 years. We thank those who believed in her. We’re not granting any privileges, Maria Sole earned this step.”
Caputi has been putting in the hard yards – she became the first woman to referee a match involving a Serie A team last December in Cagliari’s Italian Cup match against Cittadella.
True to women’s ability to juggle a boulder and a 10 tonne truck, she is also a researcher at the University of Bergamo in Italy.
French referee, Stephanie Frappart made UEFA Champions League history when she became the first woman to referee a men’s match and was also the first female to take charge of a Ligue 1 game, also men’s, in 2019.
Germany’s Bibiana Steinhaus, who is now retired, was the first woman to referee a Bundesliga match, while this season Natalie Aspinall became the third woman to officiate in the Premier League, after Wendy Toms and Sian Massey-Ellis.
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