Sian Massey-Ellis, one of the most trailblazing officials in English football history, has brought her refereeing career to a close and will move into administration with the Football Association.

From September, Massey-Ellis will serve as the FA's Senior Manager - Women Referees, a position in which she will support and develop female officials at all levels and help create pathways for women into the elite game.

A career of firsts

The 40-year-old made her Premier League debut in 2010, becoming only the second female assistant referee to work in the top flight. She went on to officiate in more than 150 Premier League matches across her career.

Her achievements did not stop there. Massey-Ellis worked five Women's FA Cup finals and became the first female assistant referee appointed to the Community Shield. In 2021, she made history again as the first woman involved in a men's FA Cup final, taking on the role of assistant VAR. She also served as an AVAR at the 2025 Carabao Cup final.

On the international stage, her record is equally remarkable — four Women's European Championships, two Women's World Cups, and the 2018 Women's Champions League final. In 2019, she became the first English woman to officiate a men's European fixture, working as an assistant referee in the Europa League.

Massey-Ellis, who holds an MBE for services to football, reflected on a career she described with deep pride.