May 2009, and Michaela Tabb becomes the 1st woman to referee the snooker world championship final. It gets a lot of publicity, but is a woman referee really any big deal?

Well the short answer is that yes, it is a big deal. A lot of people say it's sexist to focus on the issue, that women officials in sport are no different to their male counterparts. Hmm, I think that's wrong, and here's why...

Woman refs in sport *are* different than the men, precisely because there are so few of them. In Michaela Tabb's case, she freely admits she was fast tracked up the ladder by the world body, but let's get things in perspective. When she says 'fast tracked', it still took her nearly 10 years to get to the top, i.e. the world final. Also, although world snooker helped her get through the door, it was then up to her what she did with it.

Tabb is a realistic woman, who says she got where she is by some good fortune, coupled with ambition and hard work. The fact that she is the first is a reflection of her hard work, and a superb example of goal achievement in action. It takes a lot for a man to referee the world final, so for a woman to do it in such a male dominated field is worthy of note and congratulation. To avoid doing so for fear of being labeled sexist is nonsense in my view.

Whether there should be more women officials is another discussion - my view is that there certainly should. My (well read) copy of 'Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus' tells me that women can take a more objective view, and stay calm under pressure, perfect for top level sports officiating. Look at the NFL, never a woman umpire, look at the football Premier League, no women refs, and even women assistant refs have come under fire from managers.

So to sum up, yes a woman referee is a big deal, the time will come when it isn't, but at the moment Michaela Tabb and people like her are breaking down barriers, and more power to them is what I say!