York RA "extr@times" Newsletter (Centenary Year 2008)

This page will be updated on a regular basis and will take the form of a "newsletter". I will send an email prompt to those of you who have requested details in the past.

The current "extr@times" newsletter for York RA:

Volume 9 Issue 10 - May 2008 Welcome to the latest edition of the email newsletter for York City & District Referees' Association, as we start our CENTENARY YEAR. Don't forget that you can find out more about York RA on the other pages of this site. The next meeting is on Thursday 11 September 2008, at York City FC Social Club. The contents this month are as follows: REFormation - Promotions Meetings - next meeting 11 Sept 2008 (first one) RA Matters - fitness training International Issues - World Cup inThailand Events Diary - RA Confernece on 5 July On This Day - Heysel remembered In off the post - fastest goal and bullish story York RA Centenary 1908-2008 (incl link to history) Back of the Net - links extr@time..... useful links

REFormation

FA Cup Final Ref
Congratulations to Mike Dean who has been appointed to referee the FA Cup final on 17 May 2008.
He will be assisted by Trevor Massey (Manchester) and Martin Yerby (Kent)
The 4th official is Chris Foy (Liverpool).

Promotions
My sources for the promotions made recently state:
Level 7 to 6 - Jan Suchecki and Mark Benton (subject to assessment)
Level 6 to 5 - Graham Boothman and Paul Howes
Being considered for Level 4 - Peter Cook, Alan Godson, Neil Howlett and Matthew Cottingham.
Congratulations to all the above and those of you have have been appointed to local Cup Fnals. Don't forget to apply in writing to the NRCFA if you wish to be considered for promotion...it may ot be too late.

FA Referees' Courses
The format has changed and a Practical Referees' Course was held at York College on 29/30 March 2008.This was a great success with 13 newly qualified referees.
The two-tier course we have been running in York for several years has now disappeared. It is replaced with a practical format over 5 modules - but mentored games are still required. The exams have also changed for the better.
The first workshop is an introductory session, following work the candidate has done with pre-study pack information (effectvely learning the basic laws prior to the course)

After the course (with emphasis on practical refereeing and application of the laws) the candidate becomes a level 9 referee and has to complete a minimum of 6 11-a-side games They then return for a newly qualified referee's workshop. Once this has been atttended then they become a qualified referee (level 7/8).

Spectator Scheme
Whilst the FA’s Chief Executive Brian Barwick made his aspirations clear at the first ever FA Roadshow by pledging to cut out bad behaviour from players’ and spectators towards match officials, a youth league in the West Midlands has already introduced measures to reduce incidents of spectator misconduct.

The Stourbridge and District Boys and Girls Youth League, ironically situated just a few miles from the Hawthorns where the FA Roadshow took place, kicked off the 2007-08 with a new rule which means at every one of their 200 matches a barrier of tape will be in place down one side of the pitch, a minimum of two metres and maximum of six metres away from the touchline. All spectators must stand behind this simple barrier, with players, managers and coaches standing on the opposite side of the pitch.

Sharp RDO
Having started refereeing in Hertfordshire, Phil has gone full-circle by returning to his county as a Referee Development Officer.
Since first tooting on his whistle in 1980, Phil has gone right to the top of the game.

He is still an active referee himself having started in the Hertfordshire County League and is currently a Premier League assistant. He is also on the FIFA List of International Assistant Referees and has been since 1997.

He refereed The FA Cup Final in 1999 between Manchester United and Newcastle United then five years later assisted at the Olympic Football Final in Athens.
Possibly his greatest achievement was assisting Pierluigi Collina at the World Cup Final in Japan which saw Brazil defeat Germany.

Phil will join the team officially on Monday 21 April and be based at The County Ground in Letchworth with the responsibility of developing, recruiting and retaining referees for the local game to help The FA achieve their target of having a qualified official on every game.

"RESPECT" Campaign
This is a new scheme the FA are trailling to deal with abuse and problems that referees face, at all levels of football.
It appears to be being done from grassroots upwards but when you see the petulance of professionals (aka Ashley Cole) there needs to be some action at the top to set the right examples at local level.

Examples of the repect campaign include the "roping" off of pitches and captains only being able to address the referee (rugby style).

The FA is investing £200m into the future of grassroots football.
The focus will be on many issues, including the Respect campaign to address poor behaviour from players to referees and tackle pushy parents on the sidelines.
But the project is also about putting money into facilities, coaching, referee recruitment and player development over the next four years.

Chief Executive Brian Barwick said: “It’s a very important day in the everyday life of English football.
“We are able to unveil an unprecedented £200m investment, which is largely the product of successful television and commercial deals. We will spend that money wisely, not least because we’ve asked those involved how they want it to be spent. Some 37,000 people gave us their views and their experience of football.

The aims are four-fold. Firstly we want more people involved in the game - players, coaches, spectators, administrators and, critically, referees.
“Secondly we want better coaches, more skilful players, especially children. Thirdly we want to make it easier to organise the game locally.
“And fourthly we want to raise standards of behaviour and address abusive behaviour. And as a parent and lover of the game this goal is especially close to my heart.”

Jim Finney dies aged 83
People from the world of football and beyond have been saddened by the death of former top referee, Jim Finney.
Finney, who died at Hereford County Hospital on Tuesday, aged 83, was the best-known referee of his generation.
Some people have described the Hereford man as the greatest English referee of all time.

If fate hadn't played its part, Finney would have taken charge of two of the most prestigious footballing occasions ever - the 1966 World Cup final and the 1971 European Cup final.
Former Hereford United manager Colin Addison paid a glowing tribute to Finney.

He said: "It is a pity that there are no Jim Finney's around in the world of refereeing today. He stood no nonsense and always had a good sense of humour. Jim refereed with common sense and was a very well respected referee on the international stage."
Addison, who knew Finney well and would take him out golfing, added: "Jim knew a lot of people. He remained well informed on local football and is a person who will be sorely missed by all those who knew him."

The 1966 World Cup in England marked the pinnacle of Finney's career which took in hundreds of league matches, more than 50 international ties and an FA Cup final in 1962 between Tottenham and Burnley.
Jim took control of a hot-tempered quarter-final between West Germany and Uruguay at Hillsborough.
Finney sent off two Uruguayans and was involved in an altercation in the tunnel when a Uruguayan player kicked him up the backside.
The offending player, Julio Cortes, was later banned from international football for a year - the longest suspension the professional game had seen at the time.
It is common knowledge that, had England not made the World Cup final, Finney would have had the honour of officiating the match.
"At the end of the day it was a victory for the nation and my personal prestige, quite rightly, took a back seat," he later said.
Finney watched the 1966 World Cup final, with his late wife Betty, from seats positioned just in front of the Royal Box at Wembley.

He was appointed as a linesman in the first European Nations Cup final in Paris in 1960 and, famously, in May 1963, refereed a friendly between Scotland and a bad-tempered Austrian side at Hampden Park which he abandoned after 79 minutes.
Scotland, at the time, led 4-1 in front of more than 94,000 fans and Finney said afterwards he thought somebody would have been seriously hurt' had he allowed the match to continue.

Sadly, in April 1971, Finney was driving to Preston with Betty and their three children when a car pulled out of a junction in Dorrington causing a crash that would end his glittering refereeing career.

Referee collapses and dies on pitch
A newly qualified referee collapsed and died in front of fans and players during a football match. Andrew Moore, a married father-of-one, fell to the ground inside the centre circle only minutes into the game on Tuesday.

The 43-year-old had been a referee only five months but loved the game and officiated every match he could, often taking control of four in a weekend.
Last night, his family, the football community in County Durham, and residents in the village where Mr Moore collapsed, were trying to come to terms with the tragedy.

Barely five minutes of the match - played at the village's Cooper Hall community pitch - had elapsed when Mr Moore collapsed while waiting for a goal kick to be taken, at about 6.15pm.
Mr Moore, who lived in Newton Hall, Durham, worked as a probation officer.

Meetings

The monthly meetings are held on the second Thursday of each month from September to May, each season.
All meetings are held at the York City FC Social Club, commencing at 7.30pm.

The next meeting of the Association is on Thursday, 11 September 2008 , starting at 7.30pm; this is the first meeting of the new season. Usual venue - YCFC Social Club.

RA Matters

York RA Centenary It has arrived - the York RA Centenary year. Some 40 old and new members attended the January meeting to celebrate this event and reminsced over years gone by. It was an excellent start the the Centenary year with many acquaintances being renewed. The main RAE aslo celebrates 100 years in 2008 (the special annual conference is to be at Solihull in July 2008). Members who renew their membership in 2008 will receive a commemorative coin. Fitness Training A reminder that the training at York University on Tuesday and Thursday evenings (1830 hrs) has been suspended due to April evening games but will recommence on 13 and 15 May 2008 until 8 June. Come prepared for the weather conditions as no changing facilities are available. "Refereeing" The latest FA/RA magazine has now been produced and distributed. It includes an interview with Chris Foy, Howard Webb on Mass Confrontation (part 2) and Steve Swallow on Preparing for the new season, law questions & answers and Law history as well as other articles. Membership Membership is due on 1 April for 2008-2009 (£21 / £11 for under 18 / £17 for over 75).....32 number for 2008-2009. For this season each member will receive a commemorative coin celebrating the RA Centenary (same as York RA received at the Centenary Dinner on 7 March; the first to be issued). York RA meetings Attendances at meeting has been disappointing this season. The January meeting was an exception. Thankfully, in April we had some 28 for Uriah Rennie who gave us an interesting evening. York RA Committee The Association is in need of a new Secretary and Treasurer! RA News - Conference The Centenary RA Conference is to be held on 5 July 2008 - at Solihull - this is free to all members and the theme for the day is "Successful Refereeing in the 21st Century". Speakers include Howard Webb, Mike Riley and Steve Smith; special guests include Geoff Thompson (FA), Jose Maria Garcia-Aranda (FIFA) and Pierluigi Collina. Saturday conference and the evening dinner is now fully booked. New Referees A Practical referees' Course was held at York College on the weekend of 29/30 Narch 2008. This was first of the new format to be held in York. Candidates will still be required to officiate a minimum of 6 games and attend a final workshop after the weekend, before becoming qualified referees. Another practical course is being held at Middlesbrough on 21/22 June 2008. RA Draw RA Draw tickets are available at meetings to sell on behalf of the RAE. York RA receive 50% of the sales so please help where you can. For the latest information from the RAE click below: RA Shop

International Issues

World Cup in Thailand
Two York Hackney cab drivers are hoping to achieve what the nation's finest haven't managed for 42 years - bring home a football World Cup for England.
Paul Marshall and Graham Bootland have been selected for an England side planning an assault on the seniors' World Cup in Thailand next week.
Marshall, 45, a former Harrogate Town and Harrogate Railway manager, and Bootland, 44, who has played York representative football while also playing for Selby Town and York City reserves, will joined by team-mates including former Minstermen striker Ian Blackstone and ex-Brighton forward Garry Nelson in spearheading England's assault for the veterans' title.

Eight teams are taking part in the competition, which is being held in Phitsanulok and kicks off on Monday. England have been grouped with Taiwan, Iran and the United Arab Emirates.
The third time the event has been staged, previous winners have included Germany, and the tournament has attracted players of the ilk of former European Cup winner Manny Kaltz.

Marshall said: "It will be a dream come true - to play as England, wearing the England shirt in a World Cup tournament."
Marshall, who played at Wetherby Road for Town for ten years, before an 18-month stint at the helm, also took Goole Town to the Northern Counties East League premier division title in his first season at the club.
Now looking to develop young footballers in his guise as coach of Copmanthorpe's Under-8s, Marshall and England's veteran stars will also be holding a training session with under-privileged Thai children while in the Far East.
The team, who were invited to play in the prestigious tournament after playing in a Manchester competition in the summer, have also had to try to raise £16,000 to make the trip a reality - although they have been helped by Rufforth firm K&J Travel, who have given them a bus, along with Adidas and Asda.
Now Marshall is focusing on coping with Thailand's heat and humidity - and ensuring England put on a good display. "The rules say that three players over 50 have to be on the field at all times," he said.
Bootland, who works for Station Taxis, added: "This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. It is the icing on the cake for those of us who have been in football for so long."

The Referee's a Banker.....
An Italian Bank Manager was set upon after being mistook for a top Series A referee.
The man was mistaken for Mauro Bergonzi who had angered Juventus fans by awarding two controversial penalties to opponents Napoli wo won 3-1.
"A group of people encircled someone they thought was a referee, they tried to abduct him and continually punched him", said Italian referees' cheif Cesare Gussoni. The incident was so serious that the real Mr Bergonzi went into hiding for two weeks.

New FIFA for England
Rotherham referee, 29 year old Marc Birkett has just been appointed to the FIFA list of Futsal referees.
"I took up officiating at Futsal matches and within two years I’ve made it to the top. I’ve been refereeing now for six years, and my next ambition is to officiate in the FIFA World Championships."
Marc’s refereeing career began back in 2002 when he retired from playing as goalkeeper for a team in Derby. He is currently a Level Four referee and is appointed to matches in the Central Midlands Football League most Saturdays.

Korea Move
South Korean footballers have been indicted for dodging military service by intentionally dislocating their shoulders to receive medical exemption.
The players ask team mates to jump on their shoulders or hang heavy weights from their arms.
It takes all sorts.

UEFA Euro 2008
The draw has been for the competition in June 2008.
No England, Scotland, Ireland or Wales.
Croatia have been drawn with Germany, Poland and Austria.
Group C comprises France, Italy, Holland and Romania (interesting).
England start their qualifying campaign in September 2008, with a game in Andorra on the 10 Sept.

The officials have also been appointed. Howard Webb will represent England along with Assistants Darren Cann and Mike Mullarkey. Craig Thomson (Scotalnd) has been appointed as one of the 4th officials.

The importance of the referees, assistant referees and fourth officials as the 17th team at UEFA EURO 2008™ has been emphasised by UEFA – and the referees have been urged to protect the players and football's image at the tournament in Austria and Switzerland in two months' time.
Superb team
The chairman of the UEFA Referees' Committee and UEFA vice-president Ángel María Villar Llona told a briefing at the referees' EURO headquarters in Regensdorf, near Zurich, that he confidently expected the match officials at the final round to be of the highest-ever quality. "The referees have been selected on the basis of their good performances in European competition matches, and they have been excellently prepared over the past two years," said Villar Llona. "They are in excellent physical condition – the fitness tests here have shown this – and there is no doubt that they are ready for what will be a great tournament. They must definitely be considered as the 17th team."
Extra personnel
In total, 44 match officials have been chosen to officiate at the 31 UEFA EURO 2008™ matches between 7 and 29 June. They comprise 12 teams, with a referee and two assistant referees all from the same country within a particular team. Eight more referees have been chosen as fourth officials. The referees will arrive at their Regensdorf base on 3 June, and the UEFA Referees Committee will gather on 5 June to appoint the officials for the first 12 matches. "Fifth officials" – a substitute assistant referee – will also accompany the referee teams and fourth officials to their matches, and will be ready to step into action if an assistant referee is injured or otherwise incapacitated at a match.
Travel arrangements
For matches at the Swiss venues of Zurich, Basel and Berne, the referee teams will travel to the venue by car on the day of the match, while an assignment in the fourth Swiss venue, Geneva, will require an overnight stay before and after the match. For Austria, the referees will travel by train to Innsbruck the day before the match, and by plane to the other Austrian venues of Vienna, Klagenfurt and Salzburg. The referee teams will be accompanied by referee observers, as well as by active referees who will act as liaison officers.
'Fit and ready'
Each referee will, in principle, take charge of two group matches. After this, the UEFA Referees Committee will decide on the match officials for the knockout phase. The eight fourth officials will leave after the group phase, and one of the 12 EURO referees will act as fourth official at each knockout match. Referees will be paid €10,000 for each match they take charge of while an assistant referee will receive €5,000, a fourth official €4,000, and a fifth official €3,000 per match. In the six weeks leading up to the tournament, the referees have a specific training programme and will be monitored. "In this way, we can assure that they will be fit and ready for the final round," said UEFA's head of refereeing Yvan Cornu.
Important directives
In the meantime, the match officials will also be digesting technical instructions given to them by the UEFA Referees Committee. They have been told to act firmly with a red card against challenges with excessive force which endanger an opponents' safety – and to punish holding and pushing in the penalty area at set-pieces. Simulation will be punished with a yellow card for unsporting behaviour, and acts of simulation not seen by the referee could be punished retrospectively. Any mass confrontation will lead to the main protesters getting a yellow card. Dissent will be firmly sanctioned.

Respect agenda
"Referees will speak to players and respect them, but it is also expected that players and coaches show respect back," said UEFA Referees Committee member Hugh Dallas. Coaches who act responsibly will be left to do their technical area work, but if a coach openly criticises a referee, action will be taken. "We are working together for positive play," concluded fellow Referees' Committee member Vlado Šajn. "And part of the referees' responsibility is to protect the players – and the image of the game."

Wembley Finals
Wembley has been shortlisted to host the 2010 or 2011 UEFA Champions League Finals. Other venues inn the running are Berlin, Munich, Madrid and Valencia.

FIFA RAP

Meeting under the chairmanship of FIFA President Joseph Blatter in Tokyo on 15 December 2007, the FIFA Executive Committee passed a series of decisions, including, most notably, the introduction of a Refereeing Assistance Programme (RAP).
During the meeting, Blatter reiterated the importance of the Laws of the Game and refereeing for football as a whole: "The future of our game is intrinsically linked with the quality of refereeing. Therefore, the new Refereeing Assistance Programme is crucial for football. The decision to launch this programme is a milestone in the history of the game."
The basic objective of the RAP is to professionalise the environment in which referees develop and work - at both national and international level. It comprises two distinct but related parts:
(a) the preparation of potential match officials for the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ and the professionalisation of refereeing at the top level
(b) the development of refereeing at member association level.
In order to achieve this, refereeing development officers will work hand in hand with instructors around the world to ensure a uniform approach. These efforts will be accompanied by close cooperation with the confederations, member associations and existing FIFA development offices. An extensive range of courses and workshops, supported by technological aids including internet resources, will also be organised. In total, FIFA plans to invest some USD 40 million into the programme.
With regard to the trial of goal-line technology at this year's FIFA Club World Cup in Japan, the FIFA Executive Committee noted that the findings would be presented and subsequently discussed at the next Annual General Meeting of the International Football Association Board in Gleneagles (Scotland) on 8 March 2008.

UEFA
Latest information on the Champions League and UEFA Cup can be found at UEFA.com

Visit FIFA.com for world soccer information, including the lastest version of the Laws and an interactive "offside" demo.

The FIFA laws of Association Football can be viewed via the link below:

Events Diary

York RA meetings for the season:

2008:
10 Jan - Centenary Special
14 Feb- Discussion evening
7 March - Centenary Dinner, York Racecourse
13 March - Phil Joslin
29/30 March - Practical Refreees Course (York College)
10 April - Uriah Rennie, Premiership Referee
8 May - AGM
22 June - cricket v Lancaster at Acomb CC
5 July - RA Conference (Solihull)

4 Sept - FAMOA Event at York City FC
11 Sept - first meeting of new season
9 Oct - Nigel Bannister, Referee
13 Nov - Barry Sygmuta, Referee
11 Dec - Quiz & Buffet evening
2009:
8 Jan - Ross Joyce, NRCFA RDO
12 Feb -
12 March -
9 April -
8 May - AGM

Other useful dates:
2008:
10 May - FA Trophy Final (Wembley)
14 May - UEFA Cup Final (Manchester)
17 May - FA Cup Final, Wembley (Cardiff v Portsmouth)
21 May - Champions League Final (Moscow)
7 - 29 June - Euro 2008 (Austria/Switz)
6 - 23 Aug - Football Olympics (Bejing)
4 Sept - FAMOA event (York)
11 Sept - FAMOA event (Stokesley)
6 Sept - Andorra v England (W Cup)
10 Sept - Croatia v England (W Cup)
4 - 19 Oct - Futsal World Cup (Brazil)
11 Oct - England v Kazakhstan (W Cup)
15 Oct - Belarus v England (W Cup)

On this day....

May:


30 April (1938) The FA Cup final between Preston and Huddersfield was the first to be televised in its entirety by the BBC. George Mutch's penalty for Preston in the last minute of extra time was the decisive goal.
11 May (1985) Bradford City fire disaster
29 May (1968) Manchester united win European Cup
29 May (1989) Heysel disaster (English teams banned)

In off the post

Latest news: Fastest Goal Newcastle Blue Star, a Northern Premier League side can lay claim to a new record after scoring twice in the first 47 seconds of their match in April. The fastest goal that has ever been advised to The FA was Marc Burrows' for Cowes Sports Reserves v Eastleigh Reserves in a Wessex League Combination fixture at Westwood Park on 3 April 2004. Marc's goal from the centre circle for the Isle of Wight team was timed by the referee at 2.5 seconds. It was said to be a windy afternoon! April seems to be a good month for early strikes, because one team last week was 2-0 up after 47 seconds' play. Lee Novak gave Newcastle Blue Star the lead after just four seconds of their Northern Premier League Division One North match with Bamber Bridge last Wednesday (9 April) and David McTiernan made it two after 47 seconds. In the circumstances a final scoreline of 3-0 in Blue Star's favour was perhaps surprising. Colin Cowperthwaite reputedly scored after 3.5 seconds for Barrow v Kettering in an Alliance Premier League fixture in 1979 and goals after four seconds were claimed by Jim Fryatt (for Bradford Park Avenue v Tranmere in 1965) and Gerry Allen (for Whitstable v Danson in 1989). Newcastle Blue Star may have set a record from the kick-off, but one team technically scored twice in nine seconds! Jamie Bates, with the last kick of the first half, and Jermaine McSporran, nine seconds into the second half, were on target for Wycombe in their Division Two match at home to Peterborough in 2000. What a load of bull At a recent WBA v Southampton game at the Hawthorns, the two Assistant Referees were Matadar and Bull. I am not sure who had the ref flag! 731 This is the number of clubs entered for the FA Cup 2007-2008 season....just 2 left. Quotes "Gary Neville is the club captain but has been injured for the best part of a year now - and Giggsy's taken on the mantlepiece." Rio Ferdinand is clearly having a hearth while describing the Man Utd captaincy. "Anelka is someone who can carry on his mantelpiece." Stan Collymore can't resist a pop at Rio while discussing Didier Drogba on BBC Radio 5 Live. "Dirk Kuyt is earning himself the reputation as Anfield's Prince Harry - in the frontline for three months and no-one knows anything about it." Sun journalist Phil Thomas on Liverpool's non-flying Dutchman. "Our objective is keep Arsenal English, albeit with a lot of foreign players." Peter Hill-Wood, chairman of Arsenal, redefines "Englishness". As in, not actually that English at all. "SENT OFF: Ware, Wolf, Serious Foul Play (90)." Taken from the BBC vidi-printer. No doubt he was sent off for having excessive facial hair and howling. STADIUM ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE WEEK "If there is a qualified referee in the ground please can he make himself known to a steward." PA at half-time at Craven Cottage during Fulham v Boro game during which the referee and linesman had a nightmare. JOKES and STUFF “ Lee, has that yellow card been rescinded?"BBC reporter. “No, it’s been taken away” Heart’s Lee Wallace RA website

York RA Centenary (2008)

York RA was founded in 1908 and celebrates its Centenary this year.

The year got off to a brilliant start with our January meeting -many ex-members (including officers) attended an informal gathering with old and new members alike.
These included Peter Rhodes, Fred Young, Mike Sargent, John McCarthy, Peter Jones to name but a few.

The celebration dinner was held on 7 March 2008 at the Ebor Suite, Racecourse in York.
Some 195 attended the celebrations - members, ex-members and guests.

Just a short report on the Centenary dinner which was held at the Ebor Suite, York Racecourse on Friday, 7 March 2008.

The Sheriff of York, Keith Hyman, and the Sheriff's Lady attended the function to celebrate 100 years of York RA.
Other guests included Barry Bright, Vice Chairman, The FA, Alan Poulain, Chairman RA of England, Arthur Smith, General Secretary of the RA, and David Allison, Manager PGMOL.

Some 195 members, ex-members and guests attended the function which included a tribute to absent friends with the Poppleton Singers performing a number of songs, ending with "You'll Never Walk Alone".

Representatives from the various bodies attended including the FA Regional Manager (Alan Wilkie), NRCFA and York FA members, various local league representatives (Leeper Hare, F1 Racing, York Minor League and the Mitchell League).
A number of colleagues from other Referees' Associations also attended (Northumberland and N Riding).

Steve Beck attended from York City.

The evening was about referees old and new. It was pleasing to see so many ex-members including Peter Rhodes and Reg Baren (life members of the Association).

The City of York, The FA, RAE, PGMOL and the Leeper Hare FL made presentations to commemorate the Centenary (including the new RA coin commemorating the RA Centenary year) and the President, Ian Hotchkies, reciprocated with mementos from York RA.

A great evening was had by all making acquaintances with referees and colleagues. It is hoped that some of those attending will also attend the National RA Centenary Conference in Solihull on the 5 July 2008.

York RA has survived its first 100 years and now to the next 100. What will 2108 have in store?

Back of the Net

Links you may try for information and fun are shown on the "York RA links" page. Local league info, laws, news, etc. Please enjoy...... David King York City & District Referees' Association 3 Beechwood Glade, Foxwood, York YO24 3JT Tel: 01904-793767 email: york.ref@ntlworld.com The views or opinions presented are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the Association. Back to home page

extr@ time

Some useful links ....

If you would like to view old newsletters click on the link below to go to the page.....enjoy.