In pictures: Meet the female officials in men's sports

Sarah Thomas is set to make history next month, as the first female official in the Super Bowl's 54-year history. But who came before her? The history of female officials in men’s sports has followed a fascinating trajectory.

South Dakota native Amanda Clement was the first woman to be paid to umpire in a baseball game in 1904. After another umpire failed to show up to work, Clement, whose brother was a semi-professional player, was recruited and wore a shirt that read “UMPS”. She became a full-time paid umpire, reportedly officiating 50 games a season over a period of 7 years.

Pennsylvania native Bernice Gera sued the New York Professional Baseball League in 1969, claiming they refused to employ her based on her sex. She was told that there were no single-gender dressing rooms and that there was foul language on the field, making it an unfit environment. She officiated her first and only game in 1972, retiring due to threats and ‘resentment’ toward her.

America's Violet Palmer became the first woman referee in the NBA in 1997; she was also the first woman to officiate an NBA playoff game in 2006. She’s widely known as the first female official who reached the highest competitive tier in any major American professional sports league. Since then, the NBA has had several more full-time female referees.

The NHL hasn’t had a female referee in its nearly 104 year history, though they did bring on 4 female officials in 2019 for NHL-affiliated events. Heather McDaniel became the first woman to officiate a men’s professional hockey game in 1995, although it wasn’t an NHL game. She spent 4 years officiating minor league games. She withdrew from the position after becoming pregnant.

In 2007, German policewoman Bibiana Steinhaus, 41, became the first female referee in German men’s professional football as she officiated in the 2. Bundesliga. In October 2020, she gave up her post as a match official and became a video assistant referee (VAR).

In 2019, G.S. Lakshmi oversaw the third series of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2, whose opening match took place between the UAE and the US at Sharjah Cricket Stadium. Lakshmi, who hails from India, created history as the first female referee in a men's One-Day International (ODI).

Fresh football referee Stephanie Frappart, 37, meanwhile made history in December of 2020, when she became the first female referee for a men’s Champion League game.

Sian Massey-Ellis, 35, is an English football match official that works as assistant referee in the Premier League and the Football League. She last year celebrated 10 years since her first game in 2010 (Sunderland v Blackpool). Before her, Englishwoman Wendy Toms, 58, was considered the first female to officiate as an assistant referee in the Premier League and Football League, starting in 1994. Toms retired in 2005.

However, Referees’ Association chairman Paul Field feels that the English Premier League will take another decade before adopting full-time female referees: "Somebody like Stephanie [Frappart] is a true role model and it's fantastic to see what she is doing. But let's face it, the evolution of the women's game in this country is five or 10 years behind the rest of Europe.”

In 2011, Andy Gray and Richard Keys were taken off air by Sky Sports after a sexist rant about female football officials, which they engaged in whilst thinking their microphones were off. Included in the derogatory spiel was Gray commenting about Massey-Ellis' presence, stating: “Can you believe that? A female linesman. Women don't know the offside rule."