British teenager creates Guinness record after becoming ‘world’s youngest female referee’ at just 14!

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London, Sep 25: A British teenager became the youngest female referee after she passed the Football Association (FA) exams at the tender age of 14 and earned a place in the coveted Guinness Book of Records.

In a game dominated by men, Daisy Goldsmith was determined to buck the trend when she set her sights on becoming a referee after being inspired by her uncle who officiated at matches.

Goldsmith, who hails from Bridgwater, Somerset, had to wait until she turned 14 and could go on to the pitch in an official role, as she cleared her exams three months prior to her birthday.

“I’m really excited and it’s good to get publicity for young women referees. When I’m refereeing, people are more surprised that I’m a woman than they are by my age,” the Daily Mail quoted Goldsmith, as saying.

According to the paper, Goldsmith, now 16, who referees both men’s and women’s matches in several competitions, made it to the Guinness records by winning the title of the ‘world’s youngest referee’.

The citation on the Guinness website reads: ‘The youngest football referee (female) was Daisy Goldsmith (UK) who received her level nine qualifications from The Football Association on her 14th birthday, in Puriton, UK, on 10 March 2010,’ the paper said.

She joins the nation’s ranks of 25,502 qualified referees of which only 407 are female and is also set to hit the TV screens with the return of children’s TV favourite Record Breakers, it added. (ANI)