They use white gloves and their gentle movements subdue even the most adamant men. The female referees around the snooker table set the rules of the game and millions of snooker fans behind the TV screens watch the interesting games.

Back in the 19^th century the military officers of the Her Majesty the Queen of the United Kingdom used to spend hours around the snooker tables in India. Later the whole working class in the UK became great fans of that sport. Today snooker is popular all across Europe, as well as in Thailand, China and many other Asian countries.

How long it takes someone to become a real fan of that sport? It turned out that one can become addicted to snooker in thirty seconds only. This was how much it took Proletina Velichkova to realize that snooker would turn into an integral part of her life. It was something like a love at first sight, Proletina told Radio Bulgaria. She recalls the moment when she was changing the TV channels and she came across a snooker match with the participation of the world snooker star Ronnie O’ Sullivan. Suddenly, Proletina decided that one day she would become part of that world and later she became a snooker referee.

“In the beginning I contacted the Bulgarian Snooker Federation and started to attend snooker tournaments, where the referees introduced me to their profession. In the first 6 months I worked as a snooker referee in Bulgarian competitions only and later a completed an international training course”, Proletina Velichkova said.

Today the twenty five- year-old Bulgarian girl is part of the world snooker referee elite and participates in some of the biggest world snooker tournaments. Patience is among the biggest virtues of every snooker referee.

“The rules in snooker are quite complicated and it is impossible to judge the game without knowing the rules in details. Moreover, you can feel the drama of the game if you know what really happens and are aware of the subtleties of that game.”

Recently Bulgaria has been hosting a series of prestigious snooker forums. That sport has been gaining huge popularity among the Bulgarian audience and the number of skilled Bulgarian players has been constantly on the rise. However, the Bulgarian snooker fans will always remember Ronnie O’ Sullivan’s demonstrative games. That is why referee Proletina Velichkova describes those two games as the most exciting moments of her life.

In fact, snooker is a game for gentlemen- it is characterized with elegant costumes, reticent manners and silence.

“No, this is not a cliche”, Proletina went on to say. “The professional snooker players behave as real gentlemen. It is quite normal in snooker to admit a foul and to show positive attitude towards the referee and the fans. Rude behavior is seen very rarely in that sport.

The beautiful Bulgarian referee feels reputable in the company of so many gentlemen and her judgements are very influential. Recently the number of women joining the men’s world of that sport has increased. Proletina Velichkova is a professional referee who knows how to focus on the game and endure the physical and psychological pressure and the long-lasting games. Sometimes she plays snooker, but she prefers to be in the shoes of a referee. She speaks English, Norwegian and Swedish and currently she is completing her Masters’ degree in semiotics, philology and advertising at Sofia University Saint Kliment Ohridski. She did not choose the study of meaning making and sign processes by chance. That is why she believes that her unexpected encounter with snooker was a sign:

“Was it a sign to start dealing with snooker? I believe so. I think I took advantage of that sign and managed to decipher it correctly and I hope I will continue in the same spirit”, Proletina concludes with a smile on her face.

English version: Kostadin Atanasov