The youngest Black woman to earn a Fifa referee badge, the Mississippi native, Jackson State alumna and proud Delta is breaking down barriers one assignment at a time
Earlier this year, Alyssa Nichols became the youngest Black woman, and the first from Mississippi, to earn a Fifa referee badge. She’s not fazed by being the youngest – she is one of only two Black American women to hold the distinction – but she understands her achievement as a chance to encourage others.
After Nichols started playing soccer at Murrah High School, in Jackson, Mississippi, one of her teammates, who worked as a youth officiator with Southwest Jackson Soccer League, a primarily Black club in the city, suggested that Nichols start officiating as a way to make money while balancing academics and athletics.
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