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📘 A new practical resource for promoting gender equality in sports officiating is now available! Within the project Empowered Female Referees in Sport, the Training Guidelines for Empowerment of Female Referees have been developed and published to support sports clubs, referee associations, federations, coaches, trainers and organisations working with women and girls in sport. The Guidelines combine research findings from Serbia, Spain and Portugal with practical approaches for recruitment, skills development, overcoming barriers, mentorship and the long-term support of current and aspiring female referees.
🌍 To ensure that the resource can be widely used across all partner countries, the Training Guidelines have been translated and published in English, Serbian, Spanish and Portuguese. The publication includes practical tools and methods focused on motivation and recruitment, training and skills development, overcoming barriers, role models and mentorship, as well as recommendations for relevant stakeholders. By providing concrete approaches that can be applied in football, basketball and adapted to other sports, the Guidelines aim to encourage more women and girls to enter and remain in refereeing and contribute to more equal participation in sport.
Alliance of Amateur Basketball Referees (AoABR) from Serbia, in partnership with Hate Fighters Network (HFN) 🇷🇸, Barcel’hona Sports Events (BSE) 🇪🇸, and JuvenTagus 🇵🇹, proudly launches the project "Empowered Female Referees" – a bold step toward gender equality in sport, with a special focus on empowering women in officiating roles.
📌 What’s it all about?
✔ Creating innovative tools & training to uplift and support female referees
✔ Promoting equal participation on and off the field
✔ Encouraging dual careers for female athletes
📚 From in-depth research and hands-on training to local and international testing of guidelines and a wide-reaching awareness campaign — this project is making real impact across Portugal, Serbia, and Spain from November 2025 to January 2027.
💡 Co-funded by the European Union, “Empowered Female Referees” is not just a project — it's a movement for fairness, visibility, and change.
