Down Judge Sarah Thomas will next month become the first female to officiate a Super Bowl.
Camera IconDown Judge Sarah Thomas will next month become the first female to officiate a Super Bowl.

Female official to make Super Bowl history

AAP

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Sarah Thomas will make history again next month as the first woman to officiate a Super Bowl.

Thomas, a down judge, is part of the officiating crew announced on Tuesday by the NFL.

"Sarah Thomas has made history again as the first female Super Bowl official," said Troy Vincent, Sr., the NFL's executive vice resident of football operations.

"Her elite performance and commitment to excellence has earned her the right to officiate the Super Bowl.

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"Congratulations to Sarah on this well-deserved honour."

Thomas, 47, was hired as the first full-time female official in NFL history in 2015.

She made her regular-season debut when the Houston Texans hosted the Kansas City Chiefs on September 13, 2015.

Referee Carl Cheffers will lead the seven-person crew of on-field game officials for the Super Bowl LV on February 7 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.

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Cheffers has been a game official for 21 seasons in the NFL and was promoted to referee in 2008.

He has worked 17 play-off games, including the Super Bowl in 2017.

The crew - which has 88 years of NFL experience with 77 combined play-off games - includes umpire Fred Bryan, line judge Rusty Baynes, field judge James Coleman, side judge Eugene Hall, back judge Dino Paganelli and replay official Mike Wimmer.

This will be the first Super Bowl for Coleman as well as Thomas and second for Cheffers, Bryan, Baynes, Hall and Paganelli.

"Their body of work over the course of a 17-game season has earned them the honor of officiating the biggest game on the world's biggest stage," Vincent said.

"They are the best of the best."