I started refereeing back in 1995; a long time ago now. I had seen in the local papers about the constant shortage of referees in the juveniles and thought, “I can do that”. I passed the exam and took my first game in the juveniles in Banchory; an under 15’s game. I sent 3 off and cautioned 5. I got home and screamed but it did not put me off. The highlight of my first season had to be the referees conference in St Andrews. I travelled down there with Roddy Cobb and John Gover, with Sandy Roy as driver – and what a weekend that was! St Andrews was a chance to meet the top officials in Scotland and get their advice. (Also, quite an amount of alcohol was consumed by all.)

Most of the time was spent refereeing in the juveniles which I thoroughly enjoyed. The highlight of my juvenile refereeing career was to referee the Under 15’s President’s cup final at Pittodrie stadium in 1996. I acted as assistant referee in the juniors many times and also as assistant in the Highland League a couple of times at Huntly and Keith. I acted as assistant at the AIFF several times and this was great experience for me. Sadly, the AIFF is no more.

Refereeing then took a back seat due to work commitments and also due to a couple of back injuries, but it was never in my mind to let my membership of Aberdeen and District Referees slip and leave the association, as one day soon I will be back in the juveniles again.

I must give thanks to Sandy Roy for his advice on several occasions, and I must also give thanks to my mentor when I started refereeing. Mr Eddie Norrie, I thank you.

To achieve life membership of the association makes me feel proud and gives me a great sense of achievement. The association is a great thing to help all in refereeing in the Aberdeen and District (including Orkney and Shetland) area and I feel it is more of a refereeing family than a district association.

I hope the association goes from strength to strength and achieves great things for its members.

Craig Grant

Please be aware of the Annual General Meeting which will take place at 7pm on Monday 11th May 2020.

It will be held via video conference using Zoom, and an email has been sent out containing details of the link.  If you have not received an email and wish to attend, please contact Assistant Secretary, Iain Donaldson for details.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Colleagues and friends,

 

We are all in the midst of the greatest medical emergency of our lives, and football has become fairly insignificant. Matches have stopped, training has stopped and meetings have stopped.

However, please be assured that our association has not stopped, and we are continuing to work in your best interests. We are continuing to host committee meetings via video call so that matters important to you are addressed as soon as possible.

I’ve said many times that we are a family and should stick together, so please reach out to one another and offer support. Likewise, I am here, along with the whole management committee, if you want advice or assistance with any matters; we will do what we can.

It will be in our best interest to continue to maintain health and fitness following government guidelines for our own well-being, as well as, our ability to resume refereeing when football comes back into our lives.

 

Membership Renewals

Given the current uncertainty in football just now, and the inability to officiate, the Management Committee have agreed that fees will NOT be requested and renewals will not be issued until there is more clarity around when football will restart.

 

Members’ Meeting and AGM

The April members’ meeting and AGM are both scheduled to take place which will be delivered online and these will be accessible through mobile phones, tablets and PCs. Invites with clear instructions will be sent out prior to these meetings. If you wish to “attend” these meetings, you will be required to download the “Zoom” application and create an account. This is a new process so we ask for your patience. Our main aim is to continue to run the association with your interests in mind.

 

Most importantly, follow the guidance, look after yourself and your families.

 

Yours in sport,

 

Calum Spence

President