CHAMBER NEWS
Brittany has her eye on the ball as international referee
The Chamber’s Executive
Support Assistant, Brittany Smith, has received international recognition, having been part of the team that officiated the recent international football fixture between England Women’s U19s and USA Women’s U19s. The match took place at the
world-renowned St. George’s Park, and was Brittany’s second international appointment. “My dad played football and
then refereed, but I only saw the refereeing side, so I always wanted to referee,” explains Brittany. “You have to be 14 to take your
refereeing exam and as soon as I hit that age, I did it. At 16, you can make the progression to adult
football, such as local Sunday league, which I did.” While her refereeing career and
achievements are impressive, Brittany, who joined the Chamber in April, has the drive to keep testing herself and feels the women’s footballing landscape is as good as it has ever been. “I feel very privileged to officiate
in the FA Women’s Super League, which is their highest level of football. I’m level five at the moment, level four next year is the next target I am aiming for,” says Brittany. “The biggest change is at
grassroots level. Even when I was a junior I knew of only a few female teams within a 30 mile radius and
now there’s probably one with every grassroots team.” While memories of officiating in
the match will stay with Brittany a long time, it wasn’t something she was expecting. “The notification from the FA
comes via email. My first came in January for a game against Norway, it came completely out of the blue. I was shocked and honoured and assumed I wouldn’t get another until I progressed to the next level. “I was literally getting on the
plane to go on holiday and received an email from the FA asking me to officiate. I was over the moon.” The Chamber’s Enterprising
Brittany Smith (far centre right) before the match between England v USA Women’s U19s
Women recently celebrated 20 years since its launch and inspiring others is something that is of the upmost importance to Brittany. “For me, it’s about being a role
model, be that when refereeing, in my spare time or in my job role,” says Brittany. “If you inspire one person that’s
fantastic, if you inspire a team, even better. From my area there aren’t many female referees, so if I inspire just one more person to referee that would be fantastic. “I also act as an FA referee
ambassador and attend FA girls football festivals, offering an insight on refereeing and giving them the positives because, without asking, they don’t know.”
0844 88 44 705
letstalk@marjolo.co.uk www.marjolo.co.uk 22 business network September 2017
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