#Inspire – celebrating female referee’s in rugby
Beatriz Casares Fernandez has been officiating for 4 years.
In rugby, she has found a community of like-minded individuals who believe that girls can and is she is keen to spread this message far and wide.
In collaboration with our partners at ACME Whistles, we met up with Beatriz to chat about what rugby means to her, how she stays motivated and who has inspired her over the years.
Can you tell us a little about your relationship with rugby?
There is no way to understand the person that I am without knowing my relationship with rugby and the team.
I grew up as a player and my rugby mates became my best friends and have remained so after 10 years.
Playing alongside them, growing as a player to become captain and later coach of that team, shaped me in a way I cannot describe.
To discover, with those girls, the things we could do that we did not know has shown us a world where we can be ourselves and run like girls, tackle like girls and empower each other.
What was your first experience as a Match Official like?
I was panicking. I had a coach with me as well as my partner. They saw me panicking. The match was a boy’s game.
When I entered the pitch, I became a referee, and when I blew the final whistle I was the happiest person in the world.
Tell us about your most memorable officiating moment to date.
I was allocated to a sevens tournament with other referees who were much more experienced than me and with higher grades – all men.
When it came to referee the semi-finals, the most experienced guys agreed that one should be mine and I ended up refereeing the tightest game of the tournament.
Who inspired you to take up the whistle?
When I knew I was moving to Glasgow I thought Scotland was the perfect place to get involved in rugby again, and because I cannot play anymore due to injury, I thought that I could try refereeing. It was one of the best decisions I ever made.
What motivates you to referee?
It makes me so happy. It encourages me to be better and to improve while enjoying it as well as getting fitter.
It increases my self-esteem and has improved my mental health incredibly. Getting to know the best version of myself is my motivation.
In a few words, please tell us what it means to you to be a positive role model and INSPIRE other women and girls to get in to refereeing
A consequence of being out there looking for my best self is that a girl can see me and say, “that is so cool – I want to be a ref”. I wish I had seen that when I was playing to understand earlier that refereeing was also for me.
If you’re feeling inspired to take up the whistle, find out more about becoming a Match Official here: keepyourbootson.co.uk/referee-toolkit/supporting-match-officials-female/