'More tactical' - how referees are changing in the WSL

English referee Emily Carney says officials person had to go "more tactical" arsenic nan value of players successful nan Women's Super League improves.

Carney, 26, has been progressive successful nan WSL for 5 seasons, having started retired successful nan Lancashire younker leagues erstwhile she was 14.

She was portion of nan British squad officiating astatine this summer's Olympic Games and has acted arsenic an adjunct referee successful a Women's Champions League final.

As finance successful nan WSL grows and players improve, referees for illustration Carney are having to do nan aforesaid successful bid to support up pinch nan demands of nan game.

"Players are ever becoming faster and stronger. As officials, we person to lucifer them. We person sewage much tactical now," Carney told BBC Sport.

"We watch study and person ex-professionals travel successful to thief america look for signs of what players mightiness do and really they play.

"We look astatine nan transportation marketplace and measure players who mightiness travel into nan league. We want to cognize what players we travel up against.

"As an adjunct referee, I want to cognize really definite players move successful nan backline. One striker mightiness commencement their runs offside and travel onside truthful I request to support an oculus retired for that."

As portion of pre-season training, Carney and different referees met for a campy successful August to do beingness training and study caller guidelines issued by Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL).

They besides had training programmes from athletics scientists to thief them hole for nan WSL play that kicks disconnected connected Friday.

Carney was inducted into nan PGMOL Hall of Fame earlier this twelvemonth having had a breakout play covering her first awesome tourney successful Paris.

She worked intimately pinch knowledgeable officials Natalie Aspinall and Rebecca Welch but says location is "more scrutiny than ever" connected WSL referees arsenic visibility grows.

Carney says location are "dedicated professionals successful psychology" that activity pinch nan referees successful an "ever-growing league".

"Pressure is simply a privilege and we emotion our jobs. It conscionable shows really large nan convention is now, that we are fortunate to person specified a prestigious convention successful our country," she added.

"Year connected year, it's really resilient you person to beryllium to beryllium a lucifer official. I don't look astatine thing online. It's conscionable astir being mentality resilient.

"No referee goes retired location intending to make a bad decision. Everyone makes nan determination that they spot connected nan section astatine nan time.

"It took maine a while to create intelligence resilience. I utilized to struggle a batch going abroad. I had imposter syndrome a small spot early connected successful my career."

Carney's profession has allowed her to acquisition caller leagues and countries, but nan deficiency of women successful her section meant she did not activity pinch different female referee until she was 18 years old.

Trailblazers specified arsenic Sian Massey-Ellis, Aspinall and Welch person helped alteration that.

"I started disconnected successful Bolton and Bury's little age-group leagues. I was nan only girl. They wanted to look aft me," said Carney.

"Now, location are truthful galore females. People utilized to double-take erstwhile a female lucifer charismatic walked connected nan transportation but now I deliberation we're portion of nan furniture.

"Rebecca [Welch] has surgery barriers successful nan Premier League. She's a awesome personification and an moreover amended referee and domiciled exemplary for young girls.

"We're very fortunate to person her and [PGMOL women's group director] Bibiana Steinhaus-Webb, who is an icon. Those 2 together are now unstoppable for English refereeing [in activity roles]."