Sutton United appoint transgender former referee Lucy Clark as manager.

Lucy Clark

“Back in the 1980s playing computer games, I would edit the teams to be Sutton United,” says Lucy Clark, the new manager of her childhood club’s women’s team.

“It’s amazing, kind of a dream come true.”

Clark was last week appointed as manager of the fifth-tier side, who are currently fighting relegation in the London & South East Regional Women’s Premier Division.

While of great personal significance to Clark, the appointment is also noteworthy as it makes her the first transgender woman to be appointed as a manager in the top five divisions of English women’s football.

Clark, 51, previously made headlines as football’s first transgender referee, having officiated as high as the third tier of women’s football.

But Clark has now returned to her first love of management, having coached her first team at the age of 16 and previously managed in men’s non-league football in Essex.

“The plan was just to do some refereeing to have a look at players before I got back into managing, but obviously the refereeing went well and I had some fabulous times,” she told BBC Sport.

“And I think that has helped, I have refereed in the women’s game for many years so I have seen many clubs and how they do things, now I am taking this position on at Sutton.

“I set up TRUK [a trans-inclusive amateur football team], which got me back in the dressing room as a manager, and made me think it was time. I got the bug of being a manager again.

“When the Sutton job came up I took a week to think, but I thought, this is just perfect. I put my application in, and thankfully I have been successful.”

‘There’s nothing people can say that I haven’t already heard as a referee’

Clark returns to management at a time when the place of transgender women in women’s football has come under intense scrutiny.

A group of 48 MPs and 27 peers recently signed a letter urging the Football Association to change its rules on transgender inclusion to “protect women and girls”.

However that is focused more on players. In the dugout, greater diversity of gender is common across women’s football.

Clark says she has overwhelmingly received support following her appointment, including messages of congratulations from officials of other teams in Sutton’s division.

“I transitioned while I was a referee, and people don’t like referees,” she said. “There is nothing anyone can say to me that I haven’t heard or seen already from when I came out.

“There’s already been a few of the Twitter warriors who have said their piece, I let them crack on. I’ve been known as the trans referee, and that’s gone fine.

“Sometimes the words can get to you, but I’m thick skinned – I hit the block button and get on with it.

“I’m prepared to deal with it [abuse] should it happen, so we crack on. I’m not going to stop doing something I love because of who I am.”

Clark will ultimately be judged by results on the pitch – and Sutton need good results sharpish.

Her first game in charge on Sunday saw Sutton beaten 3-1 at home by leaders Fulham. It leaves Sutton ninth in the 12-team league having won just four matches from 13 league games this season.

Sutton are six points above the two-team relegation zone, although 11th-place Enfield Town have two games in hand and a superior goal difference to Clark’s side.