There are currently four female on-field officials (often called “refs”) in the NFL: Sarah Thomas, Maia Chaka, Robin DeLorenzo, and Karina Tovar.

Quick Scoop

  • Total female on-field officials: 4.
  • First full-time woman: Sarah Thomas, hired in 2015 and still working as a down judge.
  • Historic milestones:
    • First woman to officiate an NFL playoff game (2019, Sarah Thomas).
* First woman to officiate a Super Bowl (Super Bowl LV, Sarah Thomas).
  • Growth trend:
    • For several years, Sarah Thomas was the only woman on the field.
    • The league has since added Maia Chaka, Robin DeLorenzo (third female official), and Karina Tovar (fourth, and first woman in a deep-field position).

Who Are The Female NFL Officials?

  • Sarah Thomas – First full-time female NFL official; currently a down judge and the most well-known woman in NFL officiating.
  • Maia Chaka – First Black woman to officiate an NFL game, working as a line-of-scrimmage official.
  • Robin DeLorenzo – Third full-time female official, serving as a line-of-scrimmage official (down judge/line judge).
  • Karina Tovar – Fourth full-time female official and first woman assigned to a deep position (field judge).

Extra Context: Beyond The Field

  • In addition to the four on-field officials, there have also been women in replay and other officiating-support roles (for example, Terri Valenti in the replay booth), showing that women are involved across multiple layers of NFL officiating.
  • Recent seasons have featured historic moments like games where two female officials worked the same contest (DeLorenzo and Tovar on the same crew), highlighting a gradual but visible shift in representation.

Bottom line: If you’re wondering “how many female NFL refs are there?” for the current era, the answer on the field is four, with the number slowly trending upward as the league continues to add and develop more women in officiating roles.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.