Belinda Sleeman will make history at the weekend when she becomes the first woman to referee a rugby league game involving an NRL team.
Sleeman has long blazed a trail for female officials and will edge closer to her ultimate goal of taking control of a full NRL match when she officiates the Broncos’ pre-season run-out against Wynnum Manly at Kougari Oval.
“It’s an opportunity to test myself at the next level and I’m really looking forward to it,” Sleeman said. “This is a step in the right direction for me and the goal of one day taking control of an NRL game. That’s always the goal for everyone at this level. It’s a nice way to start the season off.”
The 31-year-old has performed the role of touch judge since 2014, when she made her NRL debut at Leichhardt Oval, and has racked up more than 60 sideline appearances during her career to date. She became the first female match official a World Cup game in 2017 and, along with Kasey Badger, has become a fixture on the sidelines at NRL games.
After an off-season spent working on fitness levels and officiating opposed sessions for the Broncos and Gold Coast Titans, Sleeman says she is no different to any other match official, even though she trains at the Queensland referees academy in Brisbane rather than with the NRL’s full-time officiating squad at Homebush in Sydney.
“We have a long pre-season, it’s no different to players,” Sleeman said. “I’ve been on the same pathway as all the other officials. We’ve got to continue to work hard and prepare well.
“I don’t think I’m on a different path or timeline to anyone else as it is for a player. Over the pre-season I’ve been refereeing a lot of opposed sessions with the Broncos and Titans. That’s good for my development as well.”
Sleeman is hoping to follow in the footsteps of Eleni Glouftsis, who made AFL history in 2016 when she became the first female field umpire to officiate a top-level men’s game in a pre-season clash. Glouftsis went on to officiate her first regular season game in 2017.
