Official Kicks: Lucy Berridge

Seventeen-year-old Lucy Berridge from Wolverhampton took up refereeing after complaining about a match official and being told by her mother to try it herself. She played in boys’ teams from four and moved to a girls’ academy at nine, which she credits with helping her read the flow of a game. She now officiates open-age men’s and youth academy football in the Birmingham County FA area, and her highest-profile appointments have been running the line in the Women’s FA Cup third round and refereeing the girls’ County Cup final. Her scariest experience remains her first game at fourteen. She pays tribute to Joel Richards, a young referee who encouraged her and who died in the Tunisia beach attack.