Ref Fiona flies flag for county

GLOUCESTERSHIRE rugby referee Fiona Brunt joined 49 other female referees at Twickenham Stadium to mark the launch of a new campaign with the aim of attracting more female officials to the sport.

Brought together by the Rugby Football Union and ACME Whistles ahead of the England v Japan match, the 50 referees surrounded the national flags on the pitch, alongside the players and dignitaries during the national anthems, in front of the 81,000 crowd.

The project, led by RFU Match Official Developer and referee Leonie Pryor, is part of a drive to bring more female match officials into the game – ultimately with the goal of inspiring 500 new female rugby referees by the end of 2024 as part of the RFU’S ‘Every Rose strategy’.

Fiona said: “The fact the sport goes on and refereeing means that vets can continue to enjoy a game they once played. “Without the refereeing team matches cannot happen. As a ref, inspiring young and current players to play is incredible.” Having refereed for four years, Fiona said: “I liked sport growing up but wouldn’t have ever called myself “sporty” and although I grew up with rugby, I never thought it was for me. “However, my dad inspired me to follow in his footsteps and take my referees course and I’ve never looked back – and it’s helped me fall even deeper in love with the sport. “Refereeing has had such a huge and lasting impact on me and my life, in the best way possible, that I am passionate about getting the message out that it can do that for other women and girls. “Simply, I believe that everyone has got to give it a go – it could change your life forever.”