Angela Rajchevska young a tireless 22 year old enthusiast. Graduated journalist and also a postgraduate student in Public Relations at the Faculty of “Iustinianus Primus” in Skopje. Volunteer at the Center for Investigative Journalism SCOOP Macedonia, member of Mountaineering Sports Club “Skopska Crna Gora” and football referee in the Football Federation of Macedonia.

VCS:Female soccer referee, what does this means for you?
Angela: For me, being a female football referee is a great achievement, special skill and courage. Women referees proves that talent and technical skills are in the first place, how a person looks is second. It is a profession that is breaking all stereotypes about women and football and offers many opportunities and open all doors to the world of the second most important  thing – the football.

VCS:How was born the love for football and being a football referee?

Angela:The Love of football was born with my birth. With a dad who was a football player, attending all of his games without exception, that game was naturally attached to me. I was practicing football since i was little. Than I started playing  professionally as part of the football team at my high school “Nikola Karev” and later on as a part of the Women’s football club
“Edinstvo”. All of my life football was beside me, my getaway place, the game I love, the game that fills me, the game I enjoy.

VCS:What’s the process of becoming a football referee?
Angela: Basically, the training consists of interactive lectures on the 17 Rules of the football game, exchanges of experience and at the end officially passing the physical tests and tests of knowledge. After the first successful passing of these tests we gain Temporary category that in a while, after gaining some experience in the lower leagues,  turns into Permanent category. After that, by passing these tests every six months,  before the start of every season, you obtain a second category, and later, after the fulfillment of certain criteria you can achieve the first category that allows you to be a referee in the higher leagues.

VCS: Male or female football referee, who is better?
Angela: Irrelevant, whether you are a male or female, if you’re doing something you love and work hard for it, success is inevitable and , of course, the better one is the one  that works more on their self and on his goals.

VCS: Reactions or interesting situations during a football game?
Angela:There are many, some of them I already do not remember. I won’t mention one thing specifically, but I will mention those memorable insightful children’s eyes turned in questionnaires when girl will stand to share the justice of the match, or the congratulations from the more experienced colleagues and football officials for some good key decisions.

VCS: Do you work in a team with a male or female and in which category?
Angela:Currently I work in the category of men, because I still have not gained the license that includes category first league women, but I have attended junior categories and tournaments in women’s football as well. Mostly the referee team is mixed, but it happens to be in a team where all the referees are female.

VCS:How many matches have you attended so far?
Angela: So far I have appeared on the pitch about 170 times, I do not know exactly how many games, because it happens to be more than 2 games in a day, however, the number is 170 official days filled with great joy for 3 years.

VCS: Your best experience?

Angela: Every game is a different story, special experience. From each match I learn different things and meet different moments that carry different weight and beauty. For the best experience I will mention my last tournament,  Soccer Cup Antalya in Kemer, Antalya.  There I was able to see a different football culture, level of play where the referee as a female is a figure for astonishment. I was really impressed from the play,  the behavior, the pleasant football atmosphere, the amazing conditions for the referees, literally i was impressed from everything.
I am happy that I chose such an unusual profession that really inspires me. It motivates me and teach how to persist, and most importantly, it allows me to care about football that for me is a game that means life.

VCS:Future plans and commitments in this field?
Angela: Most recently i intend to achieve the  Republic license which will allow me to reach for UEFA and FIFA licenses that’d open a lot of doors and opportunities for advancement in my referee career. In the near future, in July, I expect  one new great experience, Norway Cup 2017, the world’s largest soccer tournament in youth categories, held annually in Oslo, Norway.

Interviewer:  Ivana Angjelovska