Welsh official Cheryl Foster says she is relishing the chance to continue her journey as an elite referee by taking charge of Wednesday night's Euro 2022 semi-final between Germany and France in Milton Keynes.
The two sides meet at Stadium MK for a chance to meet England in the final of the competition at Wembley on Sunday, after the Lionesses swept aside Sweden with a 4-0 win on Tuesday night.
Sadly, Wales did not qualify for this tournament, but Foster has still done her bit to keep the flag flying over the last few weeks, becoming the first ever referee from Wales to feature in a European Championship.
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The 41-year-old made her debut in the competition by overseeing the Group C encounter between the Netherlands and Sweden, which was then followed up by the Group D clash between France and Belgium.
Foster, who hails from Bangor, knows all about what it's like to be a player on the international stage, having won 63 caps for Wales over 14 years.
“I’m very proud of every single one of those caps, especially in an era of women’s football when it was quite difficult to get so many," she told UEFA.com ahead of the semi-final.
After a playing career which also included a nine-year stint with Liverpool, the ex-forward decided to call time on her playing career in 2013 following a brief spell with Doncaster Belles, before making the move to become a referee.
"The jump was basically because I was coming to the end of my playing career,” she added. “I had a few choices - do I carry on playing, or do I go into coaching? But the email was returned from the refereeing department in the Welsh FA… and that’s the beginning of the story. I was asked to attend a course, and that was it. One door shuts and another door opens, and I’m really pleased I made that decision.”
