The America professional football league, which is the National Football League (NFL), has announced the appointment of Maia Chaka to the official roster of game officials for the 2021 season.
The 2021 season of the NFL which is will start in September, will see Maia Chaka as the first black female Referee to officiate a game.
Speaking after her name appeared on the 2021 official roster, Maia Chaka said:
“I am honoured to be selected as an NFL official.
“But this moment is bigger than a personal accomplishment. It is an accomplishment for all women, my community, and my culture,” she said.
Chaka enters the NFL after a standout collegiate career including spells officiating in the Pac-12 Conference and Conference USA.
“Maia’s years of hard work, dedication and perseverance – including as part of the NFL Officiating Development Program – have earned her a position as an NFL official,” NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent Sr said.
“As we celebrate Women’s History Month, Maia is a trailblazer as the first black female official and inspires us toward normalising women on the football field.”
The appointment of Chaka is coming a few weeks after Sarah Thomas’s appointment as the first female official Referee in NFL to officiate a Super Bowl.