Team USA’s players will see many new sights when they head to Austria for the IFAF Senior World Championship. New cities, new stadiums and new cultures just to name a few.
What could strike them the most is something they may never have seen in America: female football officials.
Martina Konig of Austria (pictured on right) and Katarina Milojkovic of Serbia (left) are two of the 29 game officials in this year’s tournament. Both women became enamored with the sport at first sight.
“When the first NFL broadcasts appeared on our TV stations, I started to watch games with my older brother, and I totally fell in love with this sport,” Milojkovic said. “They began to establish the first teams in our country, and I wanted to take a more active role in this sport than being just a spectator.”
Milojkovic tried out as a referee in 2006, becoming the first female official in Serbia.
Konig’s interest piqued when she attended a game in her native Austria with a friend. Inspired by the games, she joined a chain crew in 1990. Konig has worked almost 350 games since, mostly in the wing position.
Both have had their share of memorable officiating moments. Konig worked the Austrian Bowl (the Austrian Football League championship) with a crew made up of her closest officiating friends.
For Milojkovic, hers came when she officiated the finals of the first IFAF Women’s World Championship last year in Stockholm, Sweden. Standing in the middle of the field during the national anthems, she knew she was a part of something much bigger than herself.
“To be a part of the moment when history is made is indescribable and breathtaking,” Milojkovic said. “I was so happy and proud not just for myself but also for all the women who took part in the tournament as officials, coaches and players.”
They’ve seen their challenges of being the minority gender in football, but they have adjusted. Milojkovic said coaches and players have tried to take advantage of her authority because she is a woman, but she stands her ground and has earned their respect.
For Konig, she’s gradually seen coaches becoming more accepting as the sport has grown in her country.
“For most players and coaches, it is not uncommon to work with a woman as an official,” Konig said.
Both have had obstacles, but they have worked through them to officiate the sport they love. Each has her own advice for women who also dream of becoming involved with football.
“It is a male-dominated sport,” Konig said, “but if you work really hard, that will show, and you will get your chance.”
Written by Will Frasure, USA Football
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