How did you become involved in football and when?
I spent my first couple of years at High School sitting on the bench and hardly got a game. They always needed someone to run the line and having done it a couple of times, I found I enjoyed it. My dad knew Terry Thacker (now Essex RDO) from when Terry used to referee his games. I decided to give refereeing a go so my Dad gave Terry a call only to find that I wasn’t allowed to take the Referees Course until I was 14. After a year of waiting impatiently, I passed the course in November 1996 and have never looked back.
What is your memorable achievement in football to date?
Difficult to pick out just one but I’d have to say either my appointment as Reserve Assistant Referee for the 2009 Coca Cola League Playoff Final at Wembley or my appointment to the Select Group of Assistant Referees and subsequent debut on the Premier League “line” at White Hart Lane for Tottenham Hotspur vs. Birmingham City in August 2009.
What is your role within Suffolk FA?
As Referees’ Development Officer I am responsible for the recruitment, retention and development of Suffolk’s refereeing workforce.
What is the biggest challenge within your role?
The biggest challenge for us is one which I believe is also a national challenge, and that is to change the negative perception of refereeing.
We are slowly seeing a change of mindset and people are becoming sympathetic to the referee's cause, but unfortunately controversy sells newspapers. We need to do more to raise awareness and to win hearts and minds.
Improving behaviour towards referees and changing the perception of refereeing will help us to sell refereeing to the next generation of referees.
Who is your favourite team?
England!!