ON WORRIES OVER FANS

to over 39 countries now, which is unbelievable. “I can’t believe how quickly it’s grown.” For now, though, the focus is on football and her decision to go public has won the support of FA officials. Lucy will initially officiate women’s matches but she hopes to move back into the men’s game. She regularly officiated at 100 games a year in leagues including the Combined Counties, the Isthmian and the National Under 19. The Football Association said in a statement yesterday: “The FA fully supports Lucy and anyone else who wants to participate in football in their preferred gender.

When I blow that whistle today I can finally be myself... I’ve waited a lifetime for that REFEREE LUCY ON SIGNIFICANCE OF TODAY’S HISTORIC MATCH

POSITIVE

“Football is For All and in 2014 The FA announced a policy, as well as an information guide distributed to all clubs, to encourage trans people to participate in football.” Lucy, meanwhile, is determined that today is the start of a remarkable new chapter in a story that will have a positive ending. Her much-loved pink whistle makes a return for today’s game – a nod to the woman she’s always been. She adds: “I am looking to the future and want to progress as a referee. I’d have loved to have got to the Premier League but am probably too old. It would take 10 years to get there and I’d be in my 50s. “But I want to go up a few levels. The only thing that is changing is the name they put on the team sheet at the start of the match. “When I blow that whistle today I can finally be myself. I’ve waited a lifetime for that.”