Shillong, Jun 19: East Jaintia Hills got its first woman national-level football referee in the form of Batbitbha Bareh (left in yellow).
Batbitbha is now a Level 5 referee in the All India Football Federation’s structure. This is one jump up from Level 6, which is for state-level referees.
Level 5 referees are qualified to officiate all national-level matches. They have to be active in their state for 365 days as a Level 6 referee or assistant referee and they must officiate at least 30 matches in their top level of the state league before nominated by the state for the Level 5 national exam, to be conducted by the AIFF. The test puts referees through their paces with a fitness test, theory exam, viva and practical.
Batbitbha passed all four components, as was informed by the AIFF’s Director of State Referees in a letter to the Meghalaya Football Association.
She has officiated in numerous tournaments held in Meghalaya, including the North East Games 2022 (pictured), Shillong Sports Association’s Women’s League, etc.
Batbitbha holds a diploma in Sports Coaching in Football from the Sports Authority of India Netaji Subhas Eastern Centre, Kolkata, in 2019.
(File photo)
