Akhona Makalima guiding female referees through SheRef programme

A two-day workshop, hosted in Gauteng this week, brought together several female referees already active in the Hollywoodbets Super League and the Sasol Provincial Women’s League. 

The 37-year-old has explained what this programme entails.

"It's to give support to all female match officials around South Africa, just to be a sister and give some mentorship and a bit of guidance, and to share the experiences I've gained from travelling," said Makalima.

"Also to just say to them what it means to be a professional referee, and I think it's very important that we professionalise the game, so the programme is mainly about giving support to the girls and taking them out of their shell to see their potential.

"I also want to teach them about the importance of principles and values as a referee, and also teach them about modern refereeing in modern football, including the image of the game because they need to understand that they are the image of the game.

"And it is their duty to obviously protect the game, protect the image of the game, and to protect themselves and the next match official by performing at their highest."

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Makalima, who has represented South Africa at junior FIFA World Cups and the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), has positioned SheRef as a long-term project designed to bridge the gap between grassroots and global refereeing standards. 

"If they want to go to the World Cup and ver far [in their careers], they really need to take themselves serious, train and invest in themselves and in education on the laws of the game, changes of the game, and watch other referees on how to carry themselves," she added.

"And [how to] find other opportunities they can use while in refereeing, and also give guidance and support to others, being a team leader and a sister."