A primary school teacher has become the first South Asian female to referee a Kent County Cup final.

Rashpal Shergill celebrated the achievement at one of her last games of the season at Punjab United Football Club, Gravesend.

Rashpal made history at the Kent County Cup finals in April and a celebration was then organised to mark the moment a few weeks later, after she blew the whistle at another football final on Wednesday, May 24.

She said: “It means everything to me, it is absolutely massive. Those Cup finals have been going on since 1886, and to be a part of that is a privilege.

“It is just really important for the audience and for young people who have a passion for football to be able to see that everybody belongs in football.

“Just to be that inspiration for girls and to challenge opinions of people that think it's male dominated and that it should be a male game to accept the fact that football has changed and is changing – it's everybody's game.”

The mum-of-two celebrated after refereeing the Gravesend primary schools final between King's Farm Primary School and Copperfield Academy on Wednesday, May 24 and was joined by newly-appointed Mayor of Gravesham, Cllr Gurdip Bungar.

Following the match, Rashpal said: “I enjoyed every minute and I hope to inspire many young people into refereeing, especially females and underrepresented communities. If you can see it, you can be it.”

Cllr Bungar said: “It is a testament to her as well as the community. It is an honour to be here and to witness one of the last games of the season.”

The Gravesend primary school teacher began her football journey as a player with the Guru Nanak FC women’s team for two years but never saw herself refereeing.

Rashpal said: “As a parent we’re asked to support and volunteer here and there; nobody really wanted to. Then I found myself volunteering at my children's games and refereeing every home game.”

Though she had plenty of knowledge of football from playing previously, she said she soon found out being a referee involved more than just knowing the laws of the game.

“To take that whistle at the very beginning is a massive step – you know, you're right there in the centre and you have to have that confidence.

“What I wasn't prepared for was the volume of shouting, and what could sometimes be a negative presence from adults, such as coaches or parents on the sidelines.

“In the game if the decision hasn’t gone their way then you know, they don't like you. And if the decision has gone their way then they love you. So it's always going to be like that for a referee,” she said.

Rashpal has overcome the challenge by creating a tradition before each game where she delivers her “respect chats” to players and has since extended it to coaches.

She said: “I set that bar really high by making sure that I have my respect chats with the players, and I'll explain to them that ‘I'm going to respect you, by making sure this game is safe and fair’.

“Then I'll say to them, ‘you respect me, by making sure that you follow my instructions and play to the whistle and play your best football’ so they know their roles.”

Rashpal has also become a qualified referee to help her manage the obstacles that come with taking charge of a game.

She said: “If you're wearing the uniform then people are less likely to challenge you because you've got the Kent FA badge on and you've got a bit more respect there.”

Creating a positive presence at her games is Rashpal’s priority and has been accredited to her success.

Since her achievement, Rashpal has been nominated for a National Referee Recognition Award this month at Wembley Stadium.

Of her latest achievements, she said: “I didn't ever dream that volunteer work would ever get me into refereeing, I didn't. I never really ever dreamed that I'd be making history either.

“Every game I referee, every fist bump I give, is a massive statement of anti-racism, a message that we all belong on the pitch. I hope I can inspire more females and underrepresented communities to start their magnificent journeys into refereeing too.”