Steve was voted onto the committee in September 2013 as our brand new Development Officer. Steve is responsible for organising the Development Nights as well as all of our upcoming practical sessions. Here is a bit about him:
Why did you start refereeing?
I started on the referee path in 2003, when I realised my better playing days were passed and I still wanted to be involved in football. En Grist who was a senior referee in the area at the time suggested the course to me and I took to it straight away.
What has been your refereeing highlight?
I have been lucky, I have had an England Ladies U17 game as well as several cup finals but my biggest day was in July 2012 when I was lucky enough to be an Assistant Referee when Gillingham FC (my team) played The Royal Engineers (1875 FA Cup Winners and my Army Unit) at Priestfield stadium. It was such an experience to walk out with players I supported at the Ground I had spent many a happy 90 minutes.
What was the toughest position you have been in as a referee?
In my second season I had a 10 man mass confrontation on a game with club assistants. When it had all calmed down, I issued 3 red cards and 4 yellow. One of the players I dismissed then gave me the benefit of his opinion of me and I showed him a second red card (as it was in law then). After the game I just wanted to go home but had to go into the club house to receive my match fee.
What advice would you give to a new referee during their first season?
I would say that what ever happens in a game always make use of the support networks – be it your referee friends, the RA, or the Local Area Referees’ Committee (LARC). Someone will know what to do!