Bibiana Steinhaus-Webb is a pioneer of women’s refereeing, with a career spanning several decades and numerous recognitions. In a meeting with students from Johan Cruyff Institute, she reviews her inspiring story, and how her place in refereeing is due to other women who took the first steps in the industry
Bibiana Steinhaus-Webb’s career is full of inspiring achievements. She was distinguished on four occasions as the Best Woman Referee in the World according to the IFFHS. Furthermore, she was the first woman to referee in the men’s Bundesliga in the 2017-18 season. With her fantastic career, she made a huge contribution to the development of women’s refereeing. It was the legacy of other women who took the first steps in the industry that allowed her to start a career in arbitration.
Steinhaus-Webb’s interest in sports dates back to her youth. She played for various teams in the lower divisions of the German league. Once she stopped playing, she decided to become a referee. She obtained her license in 1995, and four years later she began refereeing in the Frauen Bundesliga in 1999. Her career also includes international sporting events. She officiated at Women’s World Cups and UEFA Women’s Championships. In 2012, she was selected as the main referee for the women’s football final at the London Olympics.
After retiring in 2020, Steinhaus-Webb faced a new professional challenge. She was appointed as the first director of the women’s group at Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL). This organization is responsible for refereeing matches in professional English football. In this role, Steinhaus manages the refereeing team for the Women’s Super League and the Women’s Championship in England.
How was the transition from being an athlete to refereeing?
When you lead an athlete’s life, there is only one thing you know with certainty: that it will come to an end someday. If you’re lucky enough, you get to decide when it ends— when it’s the right time. And that decision is the most difficult of all: walking away from something you love, something you are passionate about. The life after sports, after being a professional can be terrifying. That is why I believe having opportunities like learning sport management holds great importance; it exposes you to challenges entirely different. When trained, doors open to amazing opportunities where you can witness the sport in varied dimensions and take up diverse roles. There are various career options within sports, each playing different roles. It’s always enlightening to see the bigger picture about a sport with so many diverse aspects and roles.
Can you explain how your life changed over your professional career?
I’ve been a referee for more than 25 years. I was one of the first female referees who also made advances in the men’s game. Throughout my career, I worked as a police officer and as a football referee, always in combination. For me, it was very important to have something to relate to, something that kept me humble and grounded. So I always did both. And when I decided there was room for something new, something different, the English Federation approached me and said they wanted to support female referees. They wanted to invest in different aspects of the game, and one of them was refereeing. So they set up a budget. And that’s been my job for the past three years, managing the professional women’s game, managing a team of 85 people and a budget. And it’s an opportunity to learn something new because I had never done it before. I have experience as a referee, but I never learned the management aspect. I had never made a business plan in my life until now. So I can really say that every day is a learning day.
Bibiana Steinhaus-Webb at Johan Cruyff Institute Barcelona
As a pioneer of female refereeing, do you feel a responsibility, being in such a visible position?
It’s true that there’s a lot of responsibility. And it’s hard because, really, I started refereeing because I love it: I love football and I love making decisions. I love leading people. I love being on the field with players. And that’s why I started. I didn’t start because I wanted to be an idol or an icon; that was never my goal. But being one of the first teammates, over time I did become a role model, but I think that was a side effect. Then you have to deal with that. And you have two choices: you can deny it or you can celebrate it.
“I have been able to referee thanks to other women taking their first steps in the industry and became known. That applies to both the Bundesliga in Germany and international games. So I went a step further and built a path on that road. And, in the same way, the next generation of referees will grow that road. It’s like the German autobahns, where you can get to your destination faster”
Being part of a legacy is very exciting. There have been people before and there will be people after who will reach higher, go further. And you can feel envious of them because you never had those opportunities, or you can celebrate the possibilities that now exist.
Throughout your career, you’ve directed both women’s and men’s football; did you find it different refereeing one from the other?
The men’s game and the women’s game these days are still quite different. From my personal perspective, the men’s game has lost a lot of respect and some elements of fair play. You can observe that in the treatment between the players and the referee, how they work together. Also in how statements are issued in interviews after the game, when they are excited, for example. And I don’t think that helps football as a product. Women’s football is different, it has different values. The atmosphere in the stadium is different. If you’ve been to a women’s game, you can feel the difference. Everyone is welcome: you can go with your kids and not worry about safety. You can go with rainbow flags and be welcomed with joy. And this is what we want to maintain as much as possible. We believe this is a unique trademark that we want to keep, and we are interested in promoting. This is what sports can do, and should do.
With such a long career in refereeing, how do learning opportunities appear? Where do you look for them?
It’s not only about watching or studying, but it is also necessary to learn every time you’re on the field. Gaining experience means understanding the athletes, how they work, how they play. There’s a story that reflects this point very well. I was on a field in England and a game was being played. The referee of that game had a whistle and a flag in his hand. My first reaction was to think that was something strange. As the game progressed, the referee ran everywhere, blew his whistle, and above all waved his flag. While watching this I was thinking ‘What is he doing?’, I was embarrassed. I would never have done that as a referee. There were some spectators next to me, and they saw how I was looking at the referee. Then one of them said: ‘Isn’t it incredible what he’s doing for all the people with disabilities who can’t hear the whistle?’. And I felt so embarrassed at that moment because I thought I should have known that. But it was a great lesson for me: always maintain curiosity, if you don’t know why, ask the question, and don’t judge.
