Yoshimi Yamashita may have made history as the first woman to officiate a J. League game, but she’s confident she’ll be far from the last.
The 35-year-old oversaw Sunday’s third-division encounter between YSCC Yokohama and Tegevajaro Miyazaki, becoming the latest in a growing global trend of female referees in men’s competitions.
“In order to get this opportunity I needed the understanding of the Japan Football Association, the J. League, the teams and the players, as well as all of the trust I’d built with my fellow referees across the country, and I felt that responsibility very keenly,” Yamashita said on Monday.