Scottish referee to be first woman to officiate European club rugby final
Scottish referee Hollie Davidson is to make history again when she becomes the first woman to take charge of a European Professional Club Rugby final.
EPCR have announced that Davidson is to referee the Challenge Cup final between Bath and Lyon in Cardiff on May 23.
She will also be the first Scot to referee a European rugby final since Jim Fleming oversaw Bath's Heineken Cup triumph in 1998.
'European rugby is the pinnacle of the professional game, and to be named as the Challenge Cup final referee is something that I never thought was possible when I was starting out,' Davidson told www.scottishrugby.org.
'It has been a long time since a Scot has done a final, so I am just absolutely over the moon to be named as the referee for such a big game.'
She previously made history in 2019 when she led an all-female team of match officials for a Portugal v Italy men's international. It was the first time an all-female team had taken charge of a men's Test match and the first time a female referee had officiated a men's Six Nations team in a Test.
Davidson, who is from Aboyne, became Scottish rugby union's first full-time professional women's referee in 2017.
She gave up her career in banking to pursue her dream and at the time she started full-time officiating, she was one of only three professionals in the world.
Davidson played for Edinburgh University as a student before joining Murrayfield Wanderers.
After two shoulder dislocations ended her playing career, she picked up the whistle and tried her hand at officiating and has since gone on to become a trailblazer in the sport.
Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News
Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scottish Sun
an hour ago
- Scottish Sun
Island nation nine times larger than UK banned from World Cup as statement released
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) GREENLAND'S hopes of playing competitive football on the world stage were dashed when the country was told it cannot join the confederation that also represents the Caribbean. The Arctic territory of Denmark started exploring entry to Concacaf — which covers North and Central America — three years ago. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 Incredible playing views, like this one in Qeqertarsuaq on Disko Island, couldn't help Greenland get accepted Credit: Alamy 3 Football is hugely popular in the vast island nation Credit: Getty With a route into Uefa blocked, the Confederation that also includes the sun-kissed Caribbean was seen as the only alternative for the world's largest island, which is mostly covered with ice and has a population of just 57,000. Incredibly the country has 5,500 registered players. But Concacaf's ruling committee killed off the Polar Teddy Bears' dream at its Congress. A statement said their membership application had been reviewed and 'unanimously rejected'. Greenland is the world's largest island and bigger than western Europe, but 81% of its land is topped by sheet ice. And it has never played official international football. Although it is a sovereign territory of Denmark, its considered to be part of North America geographically. Joining Uefa was a no-no - as European football chiefs only accept countries formally recognised by the United Nations. 3 Such breathtaking sights still won't host official international matches Credit: Alamy BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK Greenland have played friendlies - but they are NOT sanctioned by football's world rulers Fifa. And now Concacaf have declined to help the country, which is nine times larger than the UK, make the next major step forward. The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup will see the World's best players decide which club is the greatest The organisation said in a statement: "Based on a thorough assessment conducted by the Concacaf administration and Council, and in accordance with the Concacaf Statutes, the Member Associations reviewed the membership application submitted by the Greenlandic Football Association and unanimously rejected it." It comes with US President Donald Trump claiming he wants his country to take control of Greenland. But the the ice-covered nation, as well as Denmark, insist there is no chance of that happening.
Daily Record
2 hours ago
- Daily Record
Rangers will never suffer Crystal Palace UEFA sweat as SFA chief makes dual ownership rules clear
Mike Mulraney explains that Ibrox takeover as well as Hearta and Hibs deal meet key criteria set by Hampden beaks Mike Mulraney insists the SFA would never allow dual ownership where it could cost clubs a place in Europe. Co-Leeds United investor, the 49ers group, has just bought a minority share in Rangers, similar to Brighton owner Tony Bloom at Hearts and Bournemouth's holding company Black Knight who have put money into Hibs. SFA chiefs have given these deals the green light but only because they are minority investments in the Scottish clubs. English FA Cup winners Crystal Palace are sweating on their European inclusion for next season because they also have control of French side Lyon. Mulraney said: 'We make sure if ever there is a contention about a dual-ownership model whereby the Scottish club would be seen as subordinate, that cannot be. You can't get investment rights unless you agree the Scottish club is never subordinate. 'In the event UEFA said, 'these two clubs can't play in the same competition, we've changed the rules', nobody really thought about it. The SFA ensures that the Scottish club is never subordinate.'
Daily Record
2 hours ago
- Daily Record
SFA president demands football banning orders for yobs as he reveals rule changes to help thugs crackdown
Mike Mulraney has spoken out after a spate of ugly incidents during last season SFA chairman Mike Mulraney has called for a crackdown on Scottish football 's yobs with more banning orders dished out by the courts. The football supremo is furious after a series of flashpoints last season and believes the only way to tackle the menace is more football banning orders - which can see thugs barred from all UK stadiums for up to ten years. Mulraney said: 'What I'd say there is that there is a difference between loving your club and expressing that with vigour and exhilarating fashion and so forth, and chucking a seat. 'It's straight forward. It's criminal. The problem for me at the moment with the flares and so forth is there is no jeopardy to doing that. 'Until there is jeopardy for action you tend not to be able to change people's behaviour. So if we want to change behaviour we need banning orders. When you get banning orders, people won't do it because they don't want to be banned.' Our national game saw a meteoric rise in unwanted flashpoints last season. Former Aberdeen defender Jack MacKenzie was whacked in the face by a seat thrown by his own fans on the final day of the league campaign at Tannadice. While missiles and other objects were thrown on to the pitch during three Old Firm league matches in succession. And before last December's Premier Sports Cup final, fans of both Celtic and Rangers ran riot in Glasgow city centre. At the Edinburgh derby on Boxing Day, a Hearts supporter was ejected from Tynecastle and arrested in relation to an alleged incident of racism. And the continuing use of pyro by fans all over the country continues to give authorities a major headache. But the latest figures for the season just finished show that just five fans were hit with FBOs. This is a marked drop from 37 in the 2023/24 season and 59 in 2022/23. In the last decade across Scotland, a total of 504 FBOs have been issued with Rangers and Hibernian supporters topping the table - much of which related to the pitch invasion after the 2016 Scottish Cup Final. There is now support at government level for enforcing more FBOs and Mulraney believes it has to happen. He stated: 'Right now there is no jeopardy. I believe the Scottish Government is supportive of our view on this now. I believe the police are supportive of our view on this now. 'We're football, we can't go and sort that out. We need the judiciary to sort that out and if they need to tweak the wording on the legislation, tweak the wording on the legislation, that's their game. 'For me, it's really simple. At this point in time, misbehaviour seldom carries jeopardy. 'There is almost no jeopardy for misbehaviour. It's about protecting those who are not guilty of anything. Everyone's forgetting about them, the 99.8 percent of fans who wouldn't dream of doing it. Who's looking after them? 'Instead of everybody asking us to focus on the 0.2 percent, the real question should be 'what are you doing to protect all these people who are not breaking the law?' At the last Old Firm game in April at Ibrox, a bottle was thrown at Celtic keeper Viljami Sinisalo with Rangers substitute Neraysho Kasanwirjo - who had been warming up nearby - entering the pitch to remove it. Sinisalo said other items were directed towards him. 'First of all, I was hit with something in my lower leg,' said the Finn. 'It wasn't just a bottle, there was lighters, vapes, coins, mugs, all sorts. 'Let's say that glass bottle hits me or hits someone else, what happens next? What if it hits you in the eye and you can't play football after that. Those are the questions that we need answers for.' When Rangers and Celtic met at Ibrox in January, an object was thrown from the crowd and struck visiting midfielder Arne Engels, who required treatment. 'It's not the first time it's happened,' added Sinisalo. 'I was there when Arne was hit, [team-mate] Greg [Taylor] has been hit, [former Celtic keeper] Joe Hart's been hit, staff members have been hit. 'It's up to the authorities and the club there. I'm just glad I never got hit because things could be bad if you get hit.' During the same game a Celtic fan was also filmed mocking Ibrox disaster victims. There has been a huge debate over the use of pyrotechnics and smoke bombs. A lot of the ultras' scene want to be given the green light but Mulraney said that won't happen because they are illegal within stadiums. He stated: 'They've made the law. They've said it's illegal. On you go. I'm not the police nor should I be and I think that's important as well. 'People have got to remember that. Those who say we need football to do more outside the stadiums. 'We cannot ever be allowed to be the police of society, for there is the road to damnation for a society. "My job is to protect the fans who don't want it to happen. 'My job is to protect the fan with asthma who's standing three seats away from the guy who's smoking him out and he's leaving the game. 'It's for the government and the judiciary to instil jeopardy and it's for me to put pressure on them. 'I can ask for a banning order but if they don't do it there's not a lot I can do about that other than keep and put pressure on to make it happen. 'So we're changing our rules to improve the position that we can and we will support the police, the government and anyone else who's interested in installing some form of jeopardy behind the law of the land that they've already made.'
