Albon excited by final challenge

Having made a "first step" merely by being at her second UEFA European Women's Under-19 Championship final tournament, Romanian referee Teodora Albon is preparing for a giant stride after being selected to officiate the Belarus showpiece.

'First final'
The ninth team at these finals originally comprised of six referees, eight assistants and two fourth officials from the Belarusian hosts, but now only four remain, with Albon set to take the whistle when Sweden take on England. She will be assisted by Slovenia's Maja Dovnik and Paula Brady, with Carina Vitulano of Italy acting as fourth official. It marks a milestone for former international player Albon. "This is the first final for me," she said. "It's very important for me, as well as the teams. Like the players, everybody wants to show they can do even more than the Women's Under-19 finals – it's just the start.

Unexpected delight
"This tournament a first step for us," she added. "We have an opportunity to learn from one another and from our observers about both refereeing and about life, because we are still young. Each game is another experience, whether it's Under-19 or Women's Champions League. I just collect advice and keep working. Sometimes you want to be upstairs too quickly but it's important first to get the experience from this level." The 31-year-old is certainly not lacking in know-how. A regular in the Romanian men's top division, she refereed the 2006 UEFA European Women's U19 Championship semi-final between Germany and Russia, but the Borisov showpiece marks a new high. "I did my first finals in Switzerland and refereed the semi-finals," she said. "The final is another story – I didn't expect it but I'm delighted."

Learning curve
That sentiment is shared by the rest of the refereeing team, and for assistant Paula Brady it marks the culmination of a fruitful two weeks in Belarus. "It's intense," said the 33-year-old, a regular in the second-tier of Irish men's football. "You're away from home spending time with different people from different countries speaking different languages but we come together to be a team, not always the same team. It's a great experience and you learn different things from different people, watching referees' different styles and how they react to different situations. You learn a lot, you get a lot to take away." For her and the rest of Saturday's refereeing team, there will be the memory of a first final too.