Referees: The Final Whistle

In this episode we welcome our special guest Kevin Day, author of "Who Are Ya", stand-up comedian and writer on shows such as "Have I Got News For You", "Mock The Week" & many more. You can buy Kevin's book using this link: https://amzn.to/3fcYVTZ 

We discuss: 

⚽A football fan's common misconceptions about referees 

⚽Colour-blindness and the impact it has on people in various roles in football 

⚽Graham Poll and refereeing at Old Trafford 

⚽Which colour referee shirt should you wear to show off a suntan

In this episode we welcome our special guest Sonia Denoncourt, the first ever female FIFA referee.  

We discuss: 

⚽Sonia's journey to become the first ever woman to make the FIFA referees list 

⚽Keeping mementos from the big games you referee 

⚽What happens after a FIFA referee retires 

⚽What it was like to be a female referee officiating in Brazil's top men's division in 1997...

In this episode we welcome our special guest Richard Fey, manager of Melksham Town Football Club.  

We discuss: 

⚽The impact of COVID on Melksham Town 

⚽Richard's career as a player and a manager 

⚽The "traffic light" spreadsheet that Richard grades referees with 

⚽How referees and clubs can work together to build rapport to help with game management

In this episode we welcome our special guest Ross Joyce, Referee Development Manager at North Riding County Football Association.  

We discuss: 

⚽How COVID has shifted a lot of learning online and how everyone has adapted to that 

⚽Ross' role at North Riding FA and how it feels to be the longest serving RDM in England 

⚽How to reach referees who don't want to take part in CPD events 

⚽Assaults on referees and how it's approached at county level  

In this episode we welcome our special guest Troy Townsend, Head of Development at Kick It Out.  

We discuss: 

⚽Martin and Troy's late night Twitter exchanges 

⚽Troy's role at Kick It Out and how he is working with key stakeholders in the game to challenge racism and abuse 

⚽The impact of social media on people and how it needs to improve 

⚽Nathan's joy at Andros Townsend's free kick goal whilst playing for Newcastle United and Troy's trip to the newsagents the next day 

⚽The areas of the game that are uncomfortable to address but NEED to be spoken about

In this episode we welcome Dorset-based FA level 3 referee Martin Underhay. Martin shares with us his stories of saving a knocked out player from swallowing his tongue (with match footage of the incident) and how tragedy on Christmas day affected him and his decision to referee on Boxing Day.  

We discuss: 

⚽Martin's playing past and how he became a referee 

⚽His early interactions with Martin Cassidy (who sent him off!) 

⚽The match incident where a player was knocked unconscious and Martin had to act to save him. 

⚽The loss of his mother on Christmas day and his decision to officiate the next day 

⚽Outlook on life and tips to succeed

In this episode we welcome Richard Storey; currently referee in the Republic of Ireland and formerly FIFA Assistant Referee whilst in Northern Ireland.  

We discuss: 

⚽Richard's memories of his time on the FIFA AR Panel 

⚽The pressures of officiating senior international football from the age of 24 and how he ended up on one of the biggest international matches 

⚽How he balances officiating at the highest level with a full time job 

⚽His brother's time also as a FIFA AR and how they worked together on matches

In this episode we welcome Ben Williamson; referee and Co-Founder of YesRef, a system that links clubs who need referees with referees!  

We discuss: 

⚽YesRef - what it is and how it works 

⚽Specialist roles within officiating and the factors in deciding which to choose 

⚽Referees rating clubs for things like hospitality, friendliness and so on and rewarding the top performers 

⚽Ben's experience with a nasty club secretary!  

In this episode we welcome refereeing legend and all-round nice guy Mark Clattenburg, currently Head of Refereeing with the Hellenic Football Federation and Ambassador for Leisure Leagues International.  

We discuss: 

⚽Referee's basic equipment 

⚽Communication and body language - how to communicate internationally 

⚽Mark's grassroots memories, such as the Whitley Bay summer tournament 

⚽How Pierluigi Collina helped Mark before some of the biggest games of his career 

⚽The support from family and the sacrifices made for a top refereeing career 

⚽PLUS WIN A SIGNED MARK CLATTENBURG UEFA Champions League Final Shirt!

In this episode we welcome Dave Brammer: former Premier League Assistant Referee and current contributory and supply league Referee Observer for the Football Association.

We discuss: