Barcelona v Wolfsburg: Welsh referee Cheryl Foster poised for Champions League final

Cheryl Foster refereed the Euro 2022 semi-final between Germany and France

Welsh football history will be made in today's Women's Champions League final as Cheryl Foster takes charge of Barcelona's meeting with Wolfsburg.

It is a contest between two heavyweights of women's football, as Barcelona play their third final in three years against two-time winners Wolfsburg, who have been runners-up three times in the last seven years.

But for former Wales international Foster, this will be a first European final.

When she steps out in Eindhoven this afternoon, the 42-year-old will become first Welsh person to referee a Champions League final.

It is unlikely that Foster, or 'Fozzy' to her former team-mates, will be perturbed by the occasion, as she has plenty of experience having won 63 Wales caps.

The Champions League final is the latest landmark in the career of Foster, who became the first Welsh woman to referee at a major tournament at Euro 2022.

Later this year, she will break more new ground by officiating at a World Cup.

As deputy chair of Uefa's women's football committee, fellow former Wales player Laura McAllister will be at today's final to watch her former team-mate in action.

"She's making us very proud and it's a way of selling Wales to the world," McAllister said.

"It's a big game between two great clubs, Wolfsburg and Barcelona, and Cheryl will be right in the middle of all of that. I'm thrilled for her.

"Cheryl Foster knows the game inside out, she's an exemplar of what it takes to be a top referee."

'I never thought Fozzy would be a referee'

Nevertheless, Foster's transition to match official came as something of a surprise for her team-mates.

"I never would have thought Fozzy would have refereed. I played up top with her as a forward. I thought I moaned a lot at referees until I played with her," said former Wales striker Gwennan Harries.

"The way that she referees games you can see the understanding, the empathy she has with players because she's been there and done that.

"She's really good with the players because you can talk to her and that's something the players really value, and she is able to have a bit of a joke. There's many an occasion where she's told a player that they can do better!"

Former Liverpool player Foster played for Wales between 1997 and 2011.

Though a past career as a player brings positives, it can also have its drawbacks.

"I remember once we were away for a game. There was an observer to judge her refereeing and Cheryl recognised her but couldn't put her finger on it," said another Welsh official, Ceri Williams.

"On the day of the game she came downstairs and said 'I know where I know her from, she sent me off, when I played for Wales!'."

The poster girl for Wales

Williams, the Football Association of Wales' women referees development officer, says she has seen the impact Foster has had on aspiring referees

"She's been the face of Welsh refereeing," Williams added.

"Whether she wants to be or not, she's the poster girl - though I think she'd absolutely hate that."

One of the next generation of referees is Saffron Rennison who, at 21, is just starting out as an official.

"It's so inspirational [to see what Foster has achieved]. It's a motivation to think 'do you know what I could get there'," Rennison said.

"It was really awe-inspiring to witness her at the Euros. My aspiration is to referee at a World Cup, whether that's men or women's, and she's set that bar for me now.

"I couldn't ask for a better role model for me in women's football."