Stephanie Frappart is a thirty-five-year-old French female referee who is about to become the first woman ever to officiate a UEFA Super Cup. UEFA has announced that she will be officiating the Super Cup tie between Liverpool and Chelsea in Instabul on August 14.
Frappart was the referee that officiated the UEFA Women’s World Cup final between the United States of America and Netherlands. She is also the first woman ever to officiate a French Ligue 1 match. She officiated the match between Amiens and Strasbourg in April and was the first woman to be named as a referee in France’s league for next season.
Her team also consists of two other women referees, Lyon – Manuela Nicolosi and Michelle O’Neal, who will be her assistant in the Super Cup final match. The two women were also a part of her team at the Women’s world cup finals.
These women are paving the way for other young women in football officiating, a development even the president of UEFA has attested to.
UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin said, “The potential for women’s football has no limits and I am delighted that Stephanie Frappart has been appointed to officiate at this year’s UEFA Super Cup. I hope the skill and devotion that Stephanie has shown throughout her career to reach this level will provide inspiration to millions of girls and women around Europe and show them there should be no barriers in order to reach one’s dream.”
We really hope that Frappart’s appointment to officiate a match of this magnitude will pave the way for other women to reach these same heights. She is a force for change in this generation is a way maker for other women.