Jawahir Roble says it starts with the groundsmen. “They just have this face,” she says, laughing. “It starts when I ask where the changing room is.”

Roble, known as “JJ”, is the first female Muslim referee in the UK. She is wearing a black hijab and a bright blue Nike sweatshirt when she appears on our video call and mimes the kind of gawping stare she is greeted with when arriving at a new ground for the first time. “They’re still looking at me. I’m like, ‘I’m your referee, don’t worry, I’ve got this.’” The 26-year-old is graciously sympathetic to the undisguised surprise she receives on a regular basis. “I’m so different to what a normal referee looks like. But I’m there to surprise them, so who cares?”