The refereeing career of Lucila Venegas (Mexico) began out of necessity. Chila, as she is nicknamed by her friends, played in the university women's team when she began to referee on weekends in order to be able to pay for her studies toward a degree in physical education at the University of Guadalajara.
“I spent my weekends on the football fields, where I taught myself to referee. Those were long days: starting at 7 in the morning and arriving back home after 10 at night”, she said. At the end of her playing career it was time to decide between seeking a professional opportunity in football or refereeing, a decision on which her friend Soraya had a great influence by inviting Lucila to a professional referee course, experience that made her choice for that profession. In 2017, Venegas was the first female to referee a Women's MX League final and then represented Mexico at the 2019 Women's World Cup in France. Her participation in the World Cup was the culmination of her broad experience from the amateur level to becoming a FIFA referee in 2008. In order to obtain the best physical condition, she prepared with her personal trainers Noe Lorenzo Aude and Ivan Ruiz Munoz. Noe's work focused on complementing the daily exercises she uses as a routine with specific work-based objectives and nutritional aspects, while Ivan has worked as her fitness trainer since the beginning of her professional career. In her personal life, Venegas has been a member of the Democratic Workers Union of DIF Guadalajara (SIDEDIF) for more than 12 years, focusing on supporting workers' interests. Chila considers SIDEDIF as a “family”, because when they organize marches or protests, they are always carried out in the company of all the families of the people who are part of the union.
Source: El Economista