Women's football class-1 referees, who are taking an active role in Japan’s top women’s league, are working around their daily lives to train themselves and continue with their refereeing activities. Here we will share some of the lifestyles of women’s football class-1 referees.

Childbirth used to be considered as a major life event for female athletes and referees, but more recently, we have been seeing more people continuing their activities after childbirth, providing wider lifestyle options than before. It is very important to be in a situation where you can choose what you want to do.

Here we will introduce referees who have returned to work after giving birth within the last few years. In spite of their busy daily lives, they are working their way around to continue with their career as a referee and finding the perfect work-life balance.

Comments

Ms. OGATA Mio (Fukuoka)
After being promoted to a women’s football class-1 referee, I gave birth and returned, so for my child, I’ve always been a referee, but lately I've been told that they feel lonely when I am not at home on the days off. Even so, they seem to understand that “Mommy is doing her best,” and I am grateful for all the support I am receiving from my husband and parents to continue with my activities as a referee. I never thought about quitting the referee job when I was pregnant, but there were many uncertainties, such as how do I get back, how do I maintain my physical strength, and what steps I need to take in order to return. Almost at the same time as I made my return, my chid started to attend nursery school, but my child would have a fever every week and I was also not feeling well while traveling and officiating matches. At the Mother Athlete Seminar hosted by the Japan Institute of Sports Sciences (JISS), I was taught that “When a child is sick, moms are prone to injury even if they think they are fine.” After that seminar, I became more conscious about my own physical conditions. I would be very happy if we could increase the number of mother athletes and work together.

Ms. SUGIMOTO Misato (Kochi)
Currently, I have a three-year-old son. My daily schedule is occupied with my job, housework, childcare, and refereeing. I often wish I had about 30 hours a day. That way, I could spend more time training and studying. I am getting less and less time available for myself, and when things are not going the way I want, I feel like just quitting. However, I can't forget the intense feeling before the match and the sense of fulfilment I get when the match is over. I want to show my child that I am working hard not only as a mother but also as a woman. In a woman's life, there are many choices along each life-stage. Every option is important, and they should all be respected equally, but you should always prioritise what you love to do. I don’t want mothers to give up their dreams because they have a child, but rather see them set lower bars to pursue what they like. It is difficult to do everything at 100%, so I will try to take my foot off the gas sometimes and try to keep a good balance between my life as a mother and as a referee. My goal is to be on the same pitch with my child.

Ms. ARAKAWA Satomi (Tochigi)
I have a son that is about to turn three years old. I was given the opportunity to make my return as a referee when he was three months old. My son is full of energy and loves to exercise. Recently he started kicking the ball and I am hoping we can both be involved in football as my son gets older. I am very grateful to my husband, parents, and sister for their support to allow me to continue with the refereeing activities. I would also like to thank the prefectural FA, regional FA, and JFA for their support during my pregnancy and their efforts in making my return smoothly as possible after childbirth.