I have just read this on SKY's website about Sarah Bennison's fantastic achievements and her dedication to refereeing rugby league matches: www.skysports.com/story/0,19528, ... 57,00.html Her ambition is to referee in the Super League. I personally would advocate this, and am very interested in other peoples views. Do you think there is a place for female referrees and would they be welcomed by both the fans and the players? Looking at this from an official and professional capacity, what obsticles are in the way to prevent this from coming to fruition?

I have just read this on SKY's website about Sarah Bennison's fantastic achievements and her dedication to refereeing rugby league matches: www.skysports.com/story/0,19528, ... 57,00.html Her ambition is to referee in the Super League. I personally would advocate this, and am very interested in other peoples views. Do you think there is a place for female referrees and would they be welcomed by both the fans and the players? Looking at this from an official and professional capacity, what obsticles are in the way to prevent this from coming to fruition?

When I was at uni there was a Female ref in the SRL and she was best ref we had. If she can do the job then why not.

www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/georgeriley/ ... n_the.html Similar article on the BBC website. I think most fans would welcome any referee that was good at their job. If she can spot forward passes she's already ahead of most of the SL touch judges anyway.

www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/georgeriley/ ... n_the.html Similar article on the BBC website. I think most fans would welcome any referee that was good at their job. If she can spot forward passes she's already ahead of most of the SL touch judges anyway.

None. If anyone has a copy of July's Rugby League World, there is an interesting article in there about the development of young and non-graded officials whatever the gender.

If she's better than James Child, why not ?

Female ref in SL? Do me a favour love.

can you just imagine it,she runs out only to find the linesmen/women in the same clothes,thats her off to the changing rooms and refusing to come out...

Jebus i'm better than him

There's no discrimination on rugby league terraces.

Any woman who refs in SL will become as much a figure of hate as any of the men.

You are Andy Gray and I claim my £5.

As long as she gets home in time to cook tea, Friday games are off unless she makes something and leaves it in the fridge.

They would have to discriminate though;

'the referee's a w.....' Wouldn't be right.

They would have to be a bit more creative, any suggestions?

Flicker?

Rug tickler

Lesbo fits straight in, but that might offend half of the females in the crowd, being butch 'n all that.

I'd prefer something a bit more traditional, to the tune of: 'stand up, for the champions' or 'justice, for the 96' (you know the theme)

Get back, to the kitchen sink, get back, to the kitchen sink.

Or, even better: (if we win SL)

Deepthroat, for the champions, deepthroat...

rightly or wrongly, i dont think a female ref would receive the same respect as male officials do.

I dunno, you know. Boys are completely different around women, instead of challenging calls, they might go over and ask for a hug instead.

If she can do the job then not a problem (after all, there are a few male refs that clearly cant do the job). I just hope that SL dont go down a route of "token promotion" as a headline grabber.

As long as the ref is of the right standard, I dont care about sex, race or creed.

Oh, and how about "the referee's a strummer"?

P.S i'd have a go on her, she's alright

It does make me laugh that this type of thing creates such furious debate about the rights and wrongs, its like when women wanted to be priests in the Catholic Church. It's along the same lines as how Gareth Thomas gets treated by the media as a curiosity item because he's gay and plays RL instead of being a fashion designer.

I'm sure the early black players had to go through this, Clive Sullivan probably had people patting him on the head telling him how marvellous it was to see that one of their kind had achieved something in his life.

If she does get promoted then I bet these forums will be full of people thinking they are the first to make cliched sexist jokes, especially in the inbred towns in Yorkshire, like they all thought they were original with Monaghan dog jokes.

Puts on best Richard Keys voice "Did you smash it?"

Seriously, she can't do any worse than Ronnie Laughton, can she?

I'll call your Ronnie Laughton and raise you 1 Russell Smith.

There is another female ref coming through the ranks, her name is

Gloria Stits.

Russell Smith (apart from THAT game, where nothing will convince me that something "untoward" hadn't gone on), wasn't that bad.

Ronnie Laughton on the other hand, was a self obsessed turd, who was convinced that 8000 people had turned up to watch him. Does anyone recall that game about 5 years ago, when it was blisteringly hot. Laughton ran out, 30 minutes before the game was due to start, in a pair of shorts and a vest top, and did 50 press-ups infront of the South Stand, and then ran back to his dressing room. WIDGE.