Jawahir Roble (born 1995), also known as Jawahir Jewels or JJ, is a

Somali Somali may refer to: Horn of Africa * Somalis, an inhabitant or ethnicity associated with Greater Somali Region ** Proto-Somali, the ancestors of modern Somalis ** Somali culture ** Somali cuisine ** Somali language, a Cushitic language ** Soma ...

-born British football referee. The '' Daily Telegraph'' has called her "the most remarkable referee in England". She herself has said, "Who would ever think a black, Somali-born immigrant girl with eight siblings could ref a men’s game in England with a hijab on?".

Early life

Jawahir Roble was born in

Somalia Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constitut ...

, and grew up in north-west London with her parents and eight siblings. She has said, "We always played football in the garden, in the house, outside, everywhere". Roble is a Muslim, and wears a hijab when working as a referee.

Career

In 2014, aged 19, she became more serious about how to encourage Muslim girls to play football. In 2013, she obtained a £300 grant, and managed to involve Ciara Allan, her local Middlesex county FA women and girls football development officer. In September 2013, Allen launched the Middlesex FA Women's League with a new

Desi DESI may refer to * Desorption electrospray ionization * Drug Efficacy Study Implementation * Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument See also * Desi (disambiguation) Desi or Deshi is a self-referential term used by South Asian people. Desi may ...

division for girls. In return for refereeing games every week, Middlesex FA funded Roble's formal referee training. In 2017, she was one of eleven award winners at the

Respect Awards Respect, also called esteem, is a positive feeling or action shown towards someone or something considered important or held in high esteem or regard. It conveys a sense of admiration for good or valuable qualities. It is also the process of ...

, and collected the Match Official prize. Roble's award was in recognition of her volunteering work for the education charity Football Beyond Borders (FBB) and with the

Middlesex FA The Middlesex Football Association is an organisation that regulates and promotes football, aiming to increase the quantity and quality of participation in the historic area of Middlesex. History The Middlesex F.A. was founded in 1883 by the Foot ...

, coaching FBB's first women's team, as well as for achieving a Level Six refereeing qualification. She is an FA Youth Leader. She has said, "Of course they're surprised to see a Muslim girl refereeing! I'm kind of short as well so they're like 'okay, what is this child doing here' ".

Vision

In 2014, Roble then aged 19 wrote,

I have a dream that one day my fellow Muslim sisters will happily play sport. My aim is to engage young Muslim girls into sports from the ages of 8 years to 15. My overall aim is to promote football as a tool to engage young girls and then to run workshops that help develop team building skills, boost confidence and also promote a healthy lifestyle.

Honours and recognition

She was recognized as one of the BBC's 100 women of 2019. Roble was appointed

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

(MBE) in the

2023 New Year Honours The 2023 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 15 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebratio ...

for services to association football.

References

Living people Somalian women Women association football referees Somalian emigrants to the United Kingdom British football referees British Muslims 1995 births Members of the Order of the British Empire Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom {{Somalia-bio-stub