FOCUS ON WOMEN REFEREES: JOHNNY WATTERSONtalks to four women referees who have never suffered any insults based on their gender

THAT A woman’s brain might collapse under the weight of contemplating the offside rule seems much less plausible than a male broadcaster grappling with the weighty issue of the off-mic rule. It appears women now have a clear edge in understanding the big issues of our television times.

Whether Sky broadcaster Andy Gray is this week the victim of a Machiavellian plot or another sexist former footballer stuck in the towel-flicking mindset of a 1980s dressingroom we will probably never know. The bigger question might be whether he represents your average, everyday sports bloke and whether on any given Saturday women involved in men’s sports, in the way assistant referee Sian Massey was, are subjected to at least some form of low level sexism.

You could also take the view of the wife of Gray’s beleaguered colleague Richard Keys, that “with men there are little bits of you that never grow up” or a less deconstructed slant, that the locker room has always been a cave full of screaming apes even if they are wearing ties.

Anyone who has ever been in a Portacabin pulling on the gear with a team of any level knows that sexism along with several other isms is a thoughtless and disagreeable but nonetheless a pretty worn currency.

However, as often with men on matters of gender, particularly their own, they are prone to exaggeration. One of the questions surrounding the behaviour of Gray and Keys is whether it was representative and typical or a latter day aberration.

There are a number of women referees across sports in Ireland, all of them officiating at high levels in men’s competitions. Sadie Duffy has been a regular in the ring for many years at the National Stadium as a top boxing referee.

The Buncrana woman is a recognised and respected face at the men’s National Senior Championships each year, while Dubliner Carol Metchette is the highest qualified umpire ever in Irish women’s hockey and currently part of an elite group of eight top hockey umpires in the world.

An Olympic Games in Beijing already under her belt in the women’s game, Metchette is also a regular fixture in men’s matches and tomorrow takes charge of the Pembroke and Three Rock Rovers game in the Leinster Senior Cup.

In basketball Lynda Cassidy is a level two referee who began whistling at 19 and is regularly involved in the men’s Super League, while Paula Brady has travelled the world with football. An FAI assistant referee, her weekends take her all around Ireland to officiate at men’s Airtricity League of Ireland matches.

The common thread to each of the four experiences is that they have never suffered insults based on their gender. None of them have and not at anytime. Brady, as an assistant referee, would find herself as close to the crowd on the touchline as she would to the players but maintains that the occasional abuse she gets has never been based on the fact she is a woman. She receives complaints from fans and players but always for the same reasons, the decision and performance.

“I don’t think I’m treated differently,” says Brady. “You get judged on merit. If you make a bad call, male or female, people will complain but it’s nothing to do with gender. I’ve never encountered any malice or any gender-driven criticism.”

Duffy was the first female to break into male boxing and progress up to the Senior Championship standard. “At the beginning it was hard,” she says. “Not prejudice. It was never like that. You do understand you are coming into a male dominated sport. You have to work hard and eventually you get the respect you deserve.”

Cassidy says the same. “My experience has been good,” while Metchette’s no nonsense intelligence gives her male players a back-handed compliment. “It’s never been mentioned on the pitch I’m a woman. They just treat you like a man,” she says.

Doubtlessly the places of Gray and Keys will be filled by some other ex-footballers from a later vintage and with finer sensibilities.

Or, at least, so you might hope.

Carol Metchette (Hockey)

“When I turned up first, when I walked across the pitch I got a few looks. I could see them glancing at me doing their stretches from across the pitch. But if you make sure you’re not stupid, let things flow, make the right decisions, they accept you.

“No one has ever made a comment about me being a woman doing a man’s game. In fact maybe the opposite. They occasionally say it’s great to see you. I really enjoy doing them. They are a different challenge and very fast and I have never had any bad comments about being a woman.”

Lynda Cassidy (Basketball)

“In terms of acceptance I am treated exactly the same as the male referees. It has been good so far. Really I’ve no complaints about being treated differently. You can still get a hard time with players complaining.

“But I haven’t noticed that the complaints are directed towards me because I’m a female. When you start first they put you at a certain level. You gradually work up through the ranks to division one and Super League. So they would have seen me before I started in the men’s Super League.”

Sadie Duffy (Boxing)

“I wouldn’t be backwards about coming forward. Me being me it would be ‘to hell with you.‘ But I have always been treated with respect. I try my best. We all make mistakes especially in my sport when you have a split second to make a decision. Sometimes people might see you as arrogant but you have to be confident and capable. You can never become complacent. Once you are seen to be fair that’s all people ask for. Then, it takes time to build up respect.

Paula Brady (Soccer)

“I suppose there is always a novelty element. Even if they have seen you before it like ‘Ah it’s you again.‘ You might get a bit of a cheer but there is no malice, there is gender driven criticism. That doesn’t appear to be part of the league I operate in. They say ‘get a pair or glasses’ or ‘that was brutal’ and yes occasionally bad language. I have never had an experience to make me say ‘God why do I put myself through this.‘ I feel that it has been a positive experience.”