Maria Sole Ferrieri Caputi made history, walking Sassuolo and Salernitana out as the first woman ever to officiate a Serie A game.
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The 32-year-old referee rose through the ranks, having started her officiating career at the age of 17 because she wasn’t allowed to play football at a professional level at that time.
She oversaw her first Serie B match last season, a 0-0 draw between Cittadella and SPAL, then was the referee for Cagliari’s 3-1 Coppa Italia victory over Cittadella.
Speaking to Corriere della Sera, Ferrieri Caputi first revealed why she decided to become a referee.
“My parents didn’t want me to play, but in those days things were different to now. The refereeing course seemed like an opportunity to seize and in the early years it was something to share with my peers, above all else.
“I’m already working to get ready for the start of the season, I hope to make girls understand that it can be done.”
She looked back at her officiating career and the difficulty of rising up the leagues.
“The amateur leagues, for a referee, are the hardest. I experienced that, I wasn’t put at ease. But in professionalism, as the word itself says, there is professionalism.”