New chapter begins for former Inverness Caley Thistle footballer Jana Brady as love for the game sees her take up new challenge as a referee
A former Inverness Caledonian Thistle footballer says refereeing has allowed her to stay involved with the game – and encouraged others to pick up the whistle.
Jana Brady was always active as both a player and coach at Inverness Tennis and Squash Club on top of playing for the Caley Jags for years, but injuries began to take their toll a few years ago.
She was one of many women’s footballers to injure their anterior cruciate ligament, which took her out of the game for a year.
Then, after having only been back for a couple of months, Brady tore her meniscus in the same knee which meant another nine months on the sidelines.
Just when it looked as though there was finally light at the end of the tunnel, she would then tear ligaments in her ankle just two games into her second comeback.
Having initially completed a refereeing course through the Covid-19 pandemic while no football could be played, more and more opportunities were being presented to her as an official, so this year Brady made the difficult decision to hang up her playing boots and focus on officiating.
“It was a way of staying in the game for me, but it was an extremely difficult decision to make,” Brady reflected.
“Football has been such a big part of my life, and making that final call absolutely wasn’t easy.
“I didn’t take it lightly, but I had people around me telling me not to go back to playing because I had so many other things in my life, and the injuries were taking me out of those.
“Nothing really fills that void though, and when you’ve been out with injury for so long all you want to do is get back.
“As I said though, the good thing is that I have an opportunity to stay in the game and be successful on another side of the game.
“Yes, the chapter has closed on me playing, but a new one has started, and that’s exciting. I’m ready to make the journey through the refereeing side now.”
A mantra that has been repeated time and time again in women’s football especially is that you cannot be what you cannot see, and luckily for Brady she has had a role model when it comes to refereeing inside her own family.
Her step-aunt is Molly Alexander, who has officiated in Women’s Scottish Cup finals and European Championships and provided direct inspiration for what could be achieved in the game as an official.
Brady is enjoying the challenge so far, and can already be seen on the sidelines of Highland League matches most weekends, and she believes her playing experience has helped make her a better referee than she may otherwise have been.
“It’s quite funny actually, because as a player I was always the one who would be giving the referees hassle,” Brady said.
“I was sent off a number of times, but it’s not until you go in to referee a game that you really understand how difficult it can be.
“Playing football gives you an advantage as a referee, because you understand the play and you can anticipate where the ball is going from your own experience. You know what a heavy tackle is, what is and isn’t a foul, what should be a card just from playing.
“I can also understand why there is so much passion on the pitch because I was in their shoes. Of course, there is a line you shouldn’t cross, but I can understand that emotions are running high in the game.
“I’ve had a few players come up to me after games and apologise for the way they spoke, so we know it’s not personal – it’s all pure emotion.
“There is dissent from players, but also managers and fans. That can be quite difficult, and I think the reason we sometimes can’t retain referees is because it’s mentally quite difficult to deal with.
“The referee is human at the end of the day. The players on the pitch don’t get everything right, and referees try really hard to get as much right as we can.
“I just want to give people a reminder to have a thought about the words they’re saying to the referee, because if they do that we’ll have a better chance of retaining referees if it’s not so hostile.
“Referees get it so much no matter what we do, and that’s why we can’t keep people, but football needs referees.”
Brady believes that the abuse that can come from the stands is the biggest factor in referees deciding to step away from the game, as it begins to outweigh their enjoyment.
Whether a result of that hostility, or a pre-existing way of coping with it, officials need to have a certain mental strength to persevere through often hateful shouts from the crowd throughout the 90 minutes.
What can be forgotten amongst frustration over decisions is that referees are football fans themselves, and get involved because they love the sport.
“No matter how well you perform as a referee, there is always going to be someone or a team that disagrees with what you’ve done.
“You get a lot more hateful comments than you do positive comments about your refereeing. For me, it’s something you have to totally switch off from, and when you get those good comments you have to hold on to them because they go a long way.
“Up here we struggle to get referees first of all, but then also to retain them because people will go out for their first couple of games and get so much abuse from everywhere.
“People do turn around and ask why they would give up their time to do this. For me, it’s a way to stay in the game. I love football, I loved playing it, and it wasn’t something I was prepared to walk away from.
“I think it’s rare for someone to get into refereeing without loving the game. When we go in at half time we will check what the other scores are at half time because we love to know what’s going on.
“Being a part of it, there is a buzz, and the North of Scotland Referee’s Association is great. I’ve been really well supported by my colleagues, and you have to lean on each other sometimes because of difficult situations, but everybody is in the same boat.
“There is always someone who has been in your position at some point in their career, and having that support network has been really important, and will continue to be for future referees coming in. We all just love the game, and love to be a part of it.”
Brady is one of only a handful of female referees aligned with the North of Scotland Referee’s Association, but not all of them are as active as her.
Again, her experience as a player gives her an appreciation of how women’s football has grown over recent years, and she is conscious that she is providing representation for any young girls out there who may think about taking up the whistle.
That was perhaps never more evident than the match Brady picks out as the highlight of her time refereeing so far – the Scottish Cup clash between Bonnyrigg Rose and Ross County a few weeks ago, which was the first time County’s women had played at their stadium in Dingwall and was played in front of hundreds of fans.
“Obviously the female game itself is growing very rapidly, and it’s in such a great position already and will continue to get better and better,” Brady added.
“Within that, the idea is that all women’s football will eventually be refereed by women. They want women to be at the top of the game, as men are on the men’s side.
“I’ve had some younger girls watching games with their parents wanting a high five as I’m leaving the pitch, and that shows that – like playing – if you see a female refereeing then it shows you can do it as well and strive for that.
“It’s the same as women’s football, it’s developing. The more we see females refereeing, the more younger girls will want to get into it, and younger boys too for refereeing as a whole.
“The Scottish Cup match between Ross County and Bonnyrigg Rose was a great day to be a part of, and although the home team didn’t get the result I think it did a lot for women’s football in the same way it did when Caley Thistle played Rangers at the stadium.
“That was quite a highlight for me in terms of it being my first refereeing gig at a big-scale stadium. It was the most fans I’ve had at a game, and it absolutely got hyped up.
“I was nervous for sure before going out, but it’s always exciting, and those occasions get more girls seeing the game and seeing what can be achieved.”
Find more information on how to become a qualified referee here
