Pitt grad Kathryn Nesbitt among group of 1st women referees for World Cup
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Of the 129 officials set to work the upcoming World Cup in Qatar, Kathryn Nesbitt has among the most intriguing backgrounds.
Soccer and chemistry form the dichotomy of Nesbitt’s resume, and in both sport and science, she is equally accomplished.
Nesbitt’s first taste as a soccer referee came in a volunteer capacity when she was a teenager. Academically, she studied chemistry at Saint John Fisher University in Rochester, N.Y., and then went for her Ph.D, which she acquired from Pitt in 2015.
By that time, Nesbitt’s two passions had already merged. In the spring of 2013, she made her officiating debut in the inaugural National Women’s Soccer League game.
For Nesbitt, advancing through the soccer officiating ranks did not come at the cost of stalling in the academic world.
After acquiring her Ph.D from Pitt, Nesbitt was named an assistant professor of chemistry at Towson University in addition to reffing Major League Soccer (MLS) games.
In 2016, Nesbitt debuted as an assistant referee within FIFA, which provided an opportunity to officiate contests throughout the United States, Europe and Latin America.
Nesbitt’s soccer credentials were further solidified when she was named MLS Assistant Referee of the Year in 2020.
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The year prior, in 2019, she left her academic post at Towson to focus full-time on soccer officiating, joining the crew that oversaw the Women’s World Cup in France.
Thus, what originally began as a hobby, performed by Nesbitt as a teenager for free, took center stage in her life, which has had no shortage of interesting twists and turns.
Now, the Pitt grad prepares to etch her name in the history books, as in a few days, she will join a diverse handful of women as the first group of female officials and assistant referees in the 92-year history of the World Cup, which commences Sunday and runs through mid-December.
“It has been an absolute honor to have people say that I’ve become a role model for women,” she told FIFA.com in May.
Serving as an assistant referee alongside Nesbitt will be Karen Díaz Medina of Mexico and Brazil’s Neuza Back, while the officials will consist of Stephanie Frappart (France), Salima Mukansanga (Rwanda) and Yoshimi Yamashita (Japan).