HISTORY was made at Garvaghey on Wednesday night as Maggie Farrelly became the first female to take charge of a senior inter-county men’s game.
The Cavan whistler took control of the Bank of Ireland Dr McKenna Cup clash between Fermanagh and St Mary’s University College, and if she was feeling nervous she certainly didn’t show it as she took everything in her stride with a very accomplished display.
That should come as no surprise as she has continued to climb the ladder since first refereeing eight years ago, and her preparation for this historic game was no different than for any other.
“You go in with the mindset that this is just another game, although obviously it was more than just another game,” admits Maggie.
“I got the email before Christmas [about the appointment] and from that date you are working towards January 3. Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances, the game had to be changed until tonight and basically you are pushing back your preparation until that date.
“You are always preparing and when the message came through on Sunday morning that the game was off there is nothing that you can do about it, only refocus for tonight.
“Your family and friends are always going to be there for you and supporting you all the way, sending you messages of best wishes and so on.
“People I have met from my refereeing and playing career and so on have sent me best wishes from across Ireland and even at International level from friends who have moved away.”
While there was naturally a lot of hype surrounding Wednesday night’s game, Farrelly doesn’t see herself as a trail-blazer.
“I’m just grateful for the opportunities that I’m given,” she said.
“I’m not trying to break down barriers or anything like that. I’m no different from any other referee, apart from gender obviously.
“The lads that were in the same academy as me from 2011 to 2013 have went out and refereed their first game as well and people probably wouldn’t have realised that.
“Appointments are always made on merit so you just have to be patient and wait your turn as such to be given your chance to officiate.
“A lot of people would maybe say that players take a different approach to me, maybe I get more respect than other referees or whatever, but again it’s on any given day and it’s in the heat of battle. It depends on the circumstances and the intensity.”
The referee invariably comes in for some degree of stick no matter how well they are doing, so does Farrelly believe she needs to have a thick skin?
“Funny enough I have actually done research into this as part of my Masters in Sports Development and Coaching,” she said.
“A lot of research would say that to be a referee you would have to have certain characteristics.
“When I conducted a survey and interviews with fellow referees a lot of them would say that you would need to have a different skin fold measure in comparison to other people. You probably need to smile and nod a lot of the time – you wouldn’t want to take things to heart.
“You aren’t going to get every decision right but you are going to try your best to make sure you are trying to referee the game within the capacity of the rules and do your best.
“It’s just one of those things – if something is said or done you just have to move on from it.
“I’m not a person who dwells on things. I’m just very grateful for every opportunity I get and I just embrace it and whatever happens, happens.
“You are out there refereeing for 70-odd minutes and it could be the best 70 minutes of your life or the worst and you just have to deal with it.
“As soon as you cross that white line you are the referee and when you cross that white line again after the 70 minutes you are just Maggie Farrelly, you are just yourself. You can’t think otherwise I suppose.”
Having made her inter-county debut, Farrelly as now set her sights on taking the next step in her refereeing career.
She continued: “Since 2013 I have been on the national support panel so in that capacity I get to officiate in the National League and other competitions.
“The next progression I suppose would be to referee in the National League but again that’s another step on the pathway as such and you just have to be patient and wait on your opportunities to come.”
