Meet Bibiana Steinhaus, born on March 24, 1979 in Bad Lauterberg, Germany. She’s a German football referee who made history as the first female ref in German pro football. She kicked off her pro ref career in 1999, officiating matches in the Women’s Bundesliga, then moving up to the Regionalliga. In 2003, she took the reins as the main ref for the 2002–03 Women’s DFB-Pokal final between 1. FFC Frankfurt and FCR 2001 Duisburg.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bibianasteinhaus/
She was also chosen for the 2008 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, UEFA Women’s Euro 2009, and the 2010 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup. On April 15, 2011, she was one of 16 refs for the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup, where she officiated two group stage matches before being selected to ref the final between Japan and the United States. Before following in her father’s footsteps to become a ref, she played for SV Bad Lauterberg. She was also picked to officiate the women’s football gold medal match at the 2012 London Olympics, again between Japan and the United States.
