Scotland Women v Ukraine Women

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HAMPDEN PARK / FRIDAY 26, NOVEMBER 2021 SCOTLAND v UKRAINE / 20 Vikki Allan always knew she’d have to deal with highs and lows in her double life as a referee. She just didn’t expect the words of wisdom to be quite so literal. Allan’s adventures have taken her from prestigious games in <strong>Scotland</strong> to the UEFA <strong>Women</strong>’s Champions League, but she’s also taken a few unexpected turns along the way. She made the trek up Mount Kilimanjaro to help stage the highest altitude match ever played, before running the line in Jordan, next to the Dead Sea, for the lowest ever recorded. Allan said: “I passed my course in 2009 and I could never have predicted where refereeing would take me within football. It’s only grown my love of the game and I’ve had some amazing opportunities. “Back in 2017 I was involved in a game that took place in a crater close to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, as part of an initiative to close the gender equality gap in the game. “It took us seven days to get to the top and it was easily one of the toughest things I’ve ever experienced. “I got quite ill at one point. We put it down to altitude sickness but it turned out to be a bad reaction to my malaria tablets. So I was juggling being ill with walking eight hours a day. “I remember on the last day we set off at 2am and we didn’t reach our destination until about 8.30am. It was a straight climb and the altitude hit me. “The 90-minute match felt like it lasted about six hours. We had to mark the pitch out with flour because you couldn’t leave a permanent mark on the site. “There were oxygen tanks at the side of the pitch and, afterwards, we climbed to the very top. “Second time around we were in Jordan, next to the Dead Sea, and it was another amazing experience. “We had 170 girls there and it was the first time they’d ever played football outside. I felt really emotional after that. That pitch was left intact so they had a safe place to play. There was a lasting legacy to it.” It’s taken dedication to balance working her way through the refereeing ranks alongside her day job as an Edinburgh-based finance worker, but she wouldn’t have it any other way. She reflected: “I look back to lockdown and it felt like a real privilege to be able to travel the country, and Europe, to officiate. “It was a bizarre, stressful experience at times with deserted airports and differing protocols for each country. I went to Lithuania, Poland, France and Denmark, and it could be a case of being packed into a car and having meals delivered to a hotel room. “I’ll never take any of it for granted. I can’t kick a ball to save my life, so there was no way I’d ever be anywhere good enough to play in the Champions League. “I feel like I’ve been able to do the next best thing. When you’re walking out and you hear that music playing, there is a bit of you that thinks ‘this is a moment’.” Allan’s also acted as a mentor for young hopefuls looking to emulate her achievements, and she’d love to see those numbers swell. The game has come a long way in a short space of time and some of the hurdles she had to overcome simply no longer exist. She said: “Football’s moved on massively, even in the relatively short space of time that I’ve been involved.
“When I first started there wasn’t a changing room for us. Now we know that clubs look out for us and treat us really well. The game has come on leaps and bounds, whether it’s the national team reaching the Euros and the World Cup or a female official like Kylie Cockburn doing the same. “I still think the prospect of refereeing doesn’t occur to enough people and more girls should definitely look into it. It doesn’t have to be a case of playing, coaching or falling through the cracks. There are other options out there that will keep you in the game. “When I first started I walked into a room of 20 men and just had to get on with it. Now we’ve had a few girls come through the system, and I try to get to as many of the training sessions in Edinburgh as I can to reassure them that they have a voice and that there is that community there to support their journey. “It’s not as daunting as people might think. You just have to take that first step. “I also think it can really help you in your working life. It’s an interesting pastime to talk about. Once you tell people, they always want to know more about it. You also learn a whole range of applicable skills around leadership and teamwork. “As much as anything else, it’s also a great way to keep fit. “Whether you want to get involved at grassroots level or go the distance, there are so many opportunities out there for people. “I’ve never regretted if for a second and it’s good to give something back to the football community. You have to remember, if there’s no referee then there’s no game.” Be part of the game. Be a referee. To become a referee and find out how to get involved, email referee.recruitment@scottishfa.co.uk. HAMPDEN PARK / FRIDAY 26, NOVEMBER 2021 SCOTLAND v UKRAINE / 21
Page 1 and 2: FIFA Women’s World Cup Qualifier
Page 3 and 4: Scottish FA Hampden Park Glasgow G4
Page 5 and 6: HAMPDEN PARK / FRIDAY 26, NOVEMBER
Page 7 and 8: It was a nice moment with Rachel Co
Page 13 and 14: I’d take any opportunity I could
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Page 19: WHISTLE WHILE YOU WORK Scots refere
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Page 29 and 30: A B WORD SEARCH M L A B D M C A N F
Page 31 and 32: BE THE NEXT BIG THING IN WOMEN’S

Scotland Women v Ukraine Women

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