Sarah Thomas to become NFL's first female game official

Sarah Thomas will become the NFL's first permanent female official, according to reports.

The 42-year-old has participated in the league's officiating development programme for the past two summers, from which all full-time hires are made.

Further, she was the first woman to officiate a game in Mississippi's top high school division, first to referee a major college football game and the first to officiate a bowl game.

Thomas has also spent time in the New Orleans Saints' and Indianapolis Colts' respective training camps, and officiated a 2013 pre-season game between the Saints and the Oakland Raiders.

Although she will be the league's first full-time female official, she is not the first woman to work an NFL game after Shannon Eastin did so back in 2012 as a replacement line judge.