- Kathryn Nesbitt Named 2020 MLS Assistant Referee of the Year
- She became the first woman to receive this award
- He spoke exclusively to FIFA.com about all matters relating to refereeing
Kathryn Nesbitt became the first woman to lead an official North American men’s sports game last December, when she refereed the MLS Cup game between the Columbus Crew and Seattle Sounders.
In any case, the designation of Nesbitt it was no surprise for those who followed her most closely. This recognition had been preceded by her presence in the final of the MLS is Back Tournament in early 2020, in which she became the first woman to be part of the refereeing team in a league final. The results of the vote, that the MLS released, they also justify winning this award.
But why did she become a referee in the first place?
“Each person has their way”, Nesbitt tells FIFA.com. “I started when I was little, like a summer job, and that introduced me to football and, finally, it has kept me linked to sport. I really liked being active, and it can also be a competitive activity in its own way. It was great for me to have the opportunity to try to be the best at something and also to exercise. That was what encouraged me to keep going. “
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Far from football, Nesbitt’s passion is analytical chemistry and teaching, two disciplines that, although they seem very different and distant from football, the truth is that they intertwine.
“I was a chemistry teacher until two weeks before the Cup world Female 2019. I spent ten years doing my own research and opened my own laboratory at the university (Towson University, Baltimore). My research experience consists of discover better ways to analyze brain chemicalsAnd our lab was focused on developing, improving and optimizing techniques for taking samples of brain chemicals and analyzing them later. “
His analytical character It has been with you from the beginning, but to what extent has that trait helped you to grow as an assistant referee?
“In my case, I constantly make decisions, and those decisions are not always easy,” explains Nesbitt. “It’s a matter of being able to assimilate a lot of data in one go – how was the entrance, the reaction of the footballer, how the game is developing – and make the best decisions. “
“We referees also put a lot of effort into our profession. We take matches as seriously as footballers. In fact, our preparation is a lot like yours.”
“There are decisions that cannot be discussed. If a defender knocks down an attacker who is two meters from the goal, he will always be avoiding an obvious scoring opportunity, but the truth is that these things never happen like that. And a play never happens. repeats exactly the same way. Football is constantly changing. My main job as an assistant referee is to signal the offside, and it is not always as clear as it sometimes seems. “
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She is a consummate professional, who has opened the door for many to follow. At FIFA we are working towards a future where gender doesn’t serve as a barrier in the development and appointment of referees. Katy is a shining example of what is possible.
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The Nesbitt’s professional debut came in 2013, in the inaugural game of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) and before a very large audience. Contrary to what might be thought, Nesbitt assures that, the more people in the stands, the more they concentrate.
Due to the global pandemic, the assistant has had to get used to the almost total silence in the last year. In fact, spent seven weeks in “the bubble” as a member of the refereeing team that ran the MLS is Back Tournament, which was played between July 8 and August 11, 2020.
“The first few days, everyone was a little nervous about how things were going to turn out, but we gradually got used to it and, after a few days, we felt very comfortable,” he says. “I give a lot of credit to MLS for helping us in that regard. We were in a bubble. We couldn’t get out at all.”
“What causes this atmosphere, at least for the referees, is that you are so involved and concentrated in football and in your work that, when the matches arrive, you are more prepared than normal. Basically, you live, eat, and breathe soccer all day long. “
But umpires are people too, so how exhausting can tournaments like this be?
“Being away from your family wears you down, of course,” he says. “That is surely the hardest thing of all. The hotel we stayed in had fantastic facilities for us. We were a great group of highly motivated referees“.
“Even on those difficult days when you whistled a meeting at nine in the morning with the Orlando heat and then you were tired the rest of the day, the good thing was that you could sit down to dinner with your friends and get through those moments so complicated. And thank goodness that now video calls exist. We all sent flowers home to our couples so that they would be happy. “
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Kathryn Nesbitt will become the first woman to officiate a Concacaf League Final in tonight’s #SCL20 final between @SaprissaOficial and @ldacr!
More info >> https://t.co/mKO6O4r7vH pic.twitter.com/hdNb5YLEWF
– Concacaf (@Concacaf) February 3, 2021
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At the same time, Nesbitt is very aware of the perception that fans, footballers and coaches have of the refereeing body.
“We know that we are always the bad guys in the movie,” he acknowledges. “Making mistakes is part of our human nature. We referees try to be the best for football and we want to be the best at what we do, but making mistakes annoys us as much as anyone. “
How has arbitration changed you and how do you perceive that today you are a different person than you were yesterday?
“The most important thing is that he has taught me draw positive lessons from any situation and apply them in many other areas. I offer my best version when I am happy and positive, I take incredible opportunities and I do not take anything for granted. That is a very important aspect that I can apply in life with my family and at home. “
Nesbitt is a huge soccer fan. What’s more, has been trained in video arbitration at a professional level and insists that “nobody is interested in slowing down the game.”
Nevertheless, Being an assistant referee requires much more than correctly signaling an offside. It is also necessary to detect whether the ball has crossed the touchline or not, assist the main referee in fouls or incidents without the ball that occur closer to it, help when deciding whether it is a penalty, etc. And he also has to deal with conflicts on a regular basis.
“Each person develops their own style when it comes to managing these moments; some are more strict and inflexible, others are calm. It is a set of skills. I am quite direct and proactive with footballers, and I try to prevent the situation from getting out of control“.
In the same way that young people fixate on their idols, there is no doubt that Nesbitt has inspired aspiring women to be referees from all over the world to give the best of themselves and reach the top.
“It is an honor that people say that I have become a role model for women,” he concludes.
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