More women could be calling the shots in local football

Women calling the shots on men's senior football games could soon become more common.
In a first for the Western Premiership in Wanganui at the weekend, three female officials controlled the clash between City and Massey at Wembley Park, with Taranaki's Anna-Marie Keighley refereeing at that level for the first time.
She was assisted on the touchlines by Wanganui's Mandy Musa and experienced Palmerston North referee Lisa Benson.
Former player Musa, who recently refereed her first New Zealand Women's Cup match, thought Saturday went "pretty well" and she believes women have a calming affect on the male ego.
"I was actually really pleased with the response and I think the men were pretty respectful and I thought Annie did a great job. She talked to the guys and I think she gained their respect. She didn't need to give any cards and that was great because some of the games can turn to custard pretty quick."
Musa hopes it will inspire other female referees, such as Wanganui teenagers Naomi Musa, Natasha Dalby and Courtney Norman, to keep striving for higher honours.
At the moment, the Western Premiership has two female referees, Palmerston North-based Benson and Shannon Smith who have both officiated for New Zealand overseas, and now Keighley, who is trying out for a New Zealand badge which will enable her to ref at higher levels.
And there are more young female whistlers coming through the grades, reports Central Football's Manawatu manager David Lawrie, who says football like many other sports is always keen for more referees.
He said it was a "big" career path for young women and the women's World Cup was an achievable target for those competent enough.
It also benefited the game, especially when it came to women refereeing men.
"They [female referees] get away with a bit more, the players behave themselves, there's no language problems or anything like that." "When we first tried it, about three years ago when we had females coming up a grade, things like bad language and all that sort of just stopped. It was quite amazing. The players are still trying to get their heads around that one I think."
So what did the Wanganui City players think about the female officials' performance on Saturday, especially after a couple of controversial penalty decisions early on?
City goalkeeper/manager Kelvin Francis, who has been playing the game for 20 years, thought they did a "pretty good" job.
"I thought she [Keighley] was pretty good and she tried to let the game flow as much as possible," he said. "Sometimes the guys can be intimidating but I thought she stood strong."
Francis said he had no problem with female referees, as long as they were competent.