Official Kicks: Ceri Louise Williams

Nineteen-year-old Ceri Louise Williams from Swansea describes five years with the whistle and her appointment as fourth official for the Wales v England World Cup qualifier. She took up refereeing after tagging along to a course with her father and brother, becoming the first woman in Swansea to do so, and was thrown straight into an Under-12 game; she fell in love with it, she says, because she has two left feet and cannot kick a ball straight. Now level 4B in Wales and level 7 in England, she officiates in the Welsh Women’s Premier League as referee and assistant, and runs the line in the men’s Welsh League and Middlesex’s Hellenic League. Working alongside the Greek FIFA officials at the qualifier showed her the fitness and travel the top level demands.