The following article appears on the official Football League website, and is written by Tony Leighton:
"Where's your boyfriend?
You've not got one,
Cos you're such a minger"
Not the nicest of words with which to address a lady, but they simply amused referee Amy Rayner when she was the recipient at a recent Nationwide Conference game.
"I've heard all the usual jibes," said the Loughborough based match official, "including a lot of the ones hurled at male refs as well as the sexist chants.
"But at least the 'minger' taunts I got at Cambridge were original. The fans were mad at me for awarding a corner to the visiting team and quickly started the chant, and I have to admit it made me smile.
"Getting flak from supporters is part and parcel of a referee's life and you have to accept that you're going to get it - so you have to love the job, otherwise don't do it."
Now in her second season of refereeing in the Conference and her first as an assistant referee on The Football League list, 28 year-old Rayner has been loving the job since she was a youngster in Staffordshire.
"As a young girl I always wanted to play football with my brother," she said, "but I wasn't allowed to play in boys' teams and there wasn't any girls' football around where we lived.
"Then my dad did a referee's course which he thought would help in the running of my brother's team, and when he started he asked if I'd like to do the course as well.
"I qualified just after my 14th birthday and when the opportunity to referee matches came along I thought, 'well, it's better money than a 'paper round,' and I went for it.
"Because of my age I was only allowed to referee at Under-12 level to begin with, but at 16 that restriction is lifted and I got on the ladder from there.
"I officiated in the Wolverhampton Combination and Midland Football Alliance then, when a number of leagues were merged into the Conference North, Conference South and so on I worked in those before moving into the top level of the Conference.
"Now I'm running the line in The Football League as well as reffing in the Conference and I'm really enjoying my football."
Combining her full-time job as an accountant with her increasing football commitments is a complex business at times, but Rayner is nevertheless determined to continue climbing the 'ladder' and, in so doing, encourage other females into taking up refereeing.
"It's not an easy life," she said, "but it can be great fun and very rewarding. You do need a thick skin though, perhaps more so as a female referee than a male.
"In some quarters there's a perception that being a woman is your weakness as a match official, but you have to rise above that and in any case, if you do a good job you'll earn respect.
"There's no problem within bodies like The FA and The Football League - everybody is treated as equal and women get the same opportunities of advancement as men.
"I've been happy with my progress to date and hopefully I'll carry on progressing. The closer you get to the top the harder the competition becomes, but after getting on The Football League's assistant referees list I have to now aim to become a ref with the League.
"And after the experiences I've had so far in football, I would certainly encourage girls to take up refereeing - it's a great way to take part in a great sport."