Match officials confirmed for the Vitality Women’s FA Cup Final, also Goal Line Technology and VAR for the the very first time in the competition.
Suffolk-based official Emily Heaslip will lead a team including assistant referees Georgia Ball and Chloe-Ann Small, with Abigail Byrne as fourth official and Sophie Dennington as reserve assistant referee.
The match between Chelsea and Manchester United at Wembley Stadium connected by EE will also see a VAR in place for the first time in the Final, with Michael Salisbury supported by assistant Sian Massey-Ellis. Goal Line Technology will also be in use at Wembley.
The full match official line-up is as follows:
- Referee: Emily Heaslip (Suffolk FA)
- Assistant Referees: Georgia Ball (Derbyshire FA) and Chloe-Ann Small (Hampshire FA)
- Fourth official: Abigail Byrne (Cambridgeshire FA)
- Reserve Assistant Referee: Sophie Dennington (Berks & Bucks FA)
- VAR: Michael Salisbury (Lancashire FA)
- AVAR: Sian Massey-Ellis (Birmingham FA)
Heaslip, who referees in the Barclays Women’s Super League, said: “I’m honoured to be appointed as the referee for the Vitality FA Women’s Cup Final.
“It’s a dream of every player to walk out at Wembley Stadium, and that’s the same for every match official. We’ll be determined to repay the trust put in us by The FA and the PGMOL to officiate at this stage of one of the biggest club competitions in football.”
Select Group Women’s Professional Game director Bibi Steinhaus-Webb added: “The FA Cup is a special competition and I’d like to offer my congratulations to those who have been appointed to officiate the Final.
“As part of the continued development of our officials, we have been preparing for the introduction of technology in this season’s Vitality FA Women’s Cup Final for a sustained period of time.
“Anything that can aid our match officials in their decision making has to be welcomed, especially given how the game continues to evolve and produce more complex situations which need to be judged on a match-by-match basis.”
The Final will be screened live on BBC One in the UK and will kick-off at 2.30pm BST.
