‘The sky was the limit’ – Trailblazer Sapir Berman on making history as first transgender referee

Sapir Berman detailed her journey to becoming the first transgender referee to officiate a professional match in Israel in the latest episode of The Power of Sport. Berman became the first transgender person to referee a professional match in Israel when she took charge of the match between Beitar Jerusalem and Hapoel Haifa in May 2021. She told the Warner Bros.

Discovery series that after failing to make the grade as a professional, she knew that she wanted to stay in the game, deciding to become a referee. Ad/> “In my childhood, when I was about eight, nine or 10, life for us was football, football, football. When I understood that I wouldn’t be good enough to meet my own expectations as a football player, I decided to become the person with the whistle and to involve myself in the game from that perspective.” /> Football‘The sky was the limit’ – Trailblazer Berman on making history as first transgender refereeAN HOUR AGO Berman knew she wanted to transition and started to buy her own clothes as she entered her teens.

“Outside, I played a role. At home, I was who I wanted to be: a football lover and a woman! “When I was a bit older – say 15, 16 or 17 years old – and I had my own money, I began to buy myself women’s clothes. I would buy high-heeled shoes and I would also paint my nails.

I would remove it immediately with acetone and there was often a smell of acetone in the house. There were all kinds of little things that I was scared of, but I needed to do them for myself.” After completing her national service and reaching the top flight in Israel as a referee, Berman decided to come out. Despite some uncertainty about how she would be received, Berman says she has been happy with the reaction and now has her sights