An injury gave Amy Fearn the chance to become the first woman to referee a first-class league match in England. In 2009 she took charge for the final 20 minutes of Coventry’s 1-0 home win over Nottingham Forest in the Coca-Cola Championship. Original referee Tony Bates had collapsed with a calf strain in the 71st minute and called assistant ref Fearn into action when he couldn’t continue after treatment. Wendy Toms was the first female official in the Football League when she started as a fourth official in the early 1990s. Although Toms officiated games in the Premier League as an assistant referee she wasn’t called upon to take over the whistle.
