‘I feel I must work harder and still be overlooked’ – How the implementation of video assistant referee (VAR) influences gendered recruitment and working conditions in elite football refereeing

Since 2018, video assistant referee (VAR) has rapidly been implemented in men's elite football across Europe, the Americas, and Asia. VAR is to a lesser extent implemented in women's football. As football is a highly gendered field, where men primarily referee men's matches and women referee women's matches, this study examines in what ways the implementation of VAR in elite football refereeing is gendered. The analytical framework is a Science and Technology Studies (STS)-informed approach, combining domestication theory with gendered technoscience. Methodologically, the study is based on fieldwork of the VAR training of Norwegian elite referees throughout 2022, ahead of the implementation of VAR in Norway in 2023. The findings show how the implementation of VAR works to the advantage of some referees (men) while disadvantaging others (women). Men and women in elite football refereeing are affected differently by the implementation of VAR, in two pivotal ways. First, a more demanding workload due to the implementation of VAR works to increase gendered aspects of workload which affects women referees. Second, gendered differences in elite refereeing recruitment are amplified by the implementation of VAR, marginalizing women referees to a larger extent than before. The analysis demonstrates the gendered tensions and negotiations of implementing VAR in Norwegian elite football, and how it creates barriers for women referees. Ultimately, this article shows how technological innovations in sports often imply gendered consequences that work to disadvantage women.