With 17 matches at the elite level, including six in the Allsvenskan, Suchi Siwach is the first female referee in Sweden’s top men’s league. And by doing so, she hopes more women get involved in cricket. ”We need to reduce the gender gap we have in the sports industry; we need to get more women to start playing, that is how we can bring a change,” Suchi Siwach says.
Sports has been a part of Suchi Siwach’s life since childhood, and she has great respect for it as it teaches and enriches one with valuable experiences.
It has not been long since she shifted her focus from playing to refereeing, but in that short time, she has become a well-known figure in Swedish cricket. With nearly thirty matches in the ECS (European Cricket Series) and JPL (Junior Premier League), she has gained valuable experience that has helped her develop as a referee.
”Sports give me a different perspective to think and analyze, I learn every time,” she shares.
The biggest challenge is being a woman
Being a referee is a challenge, and it is not easy to satisfy both teams. Football referees are constantly under the scanner and receive criticism from players, coaches, experts, and fans. And for women, it can sometimes be a cruel world to be a part of.
According to a survey conveyed by the Swedish Football Association, four out of ten female referees have faced discrimination based on their gender in 2022. But, at the time of writing, Suchi has been spared from that in cricket.
”I have seen both sides of players, especially in knockout matches, but most of them respect me and appreciate what I do. I have received good feedback from my colleagues and from players,” she says.
But there are always two sides of a coin. She reveals that being a female referee has been her biggest challenge.
”They pressurize me and try to annoy me, hoping that I will make incorrect decisions or that 50-50 decisions will go in their favour. They want to win at any cost,” she explains.
Hoping for a mixed competition
Suchi enjoys her role as a referee and wants to officiate internationally to gain more international experience. But at the same time, she asks how we can make cricket more equal in Sweden. According to the Swedish Sports Confederation’s statistics, over 80 percent of participants in cricket are men. Ice hockey and motorsport are two other sports that resemble cricket in their representation.
”We need to reduce the gender gap we have in the sports industry; we need to get more women to get involved in cricket, that is how we can initiate a change in the world,” says Suchi Siwach.
She believes that with the right investment, Sweden can have more female players and referees. One way is to introduce more tournaments and matches for women. This is a question that Anzee Hassanali and Nida Nausherwan, who play for Djurgården, have raised previously.
”We can learn from tennis and badminton, where they have competitions in mixed categories, why cannot we have that in cricket?”
Photograph: Personal
