Referee dies at age of 19
- Thread starter ref craig
- Start date
RIP Joel, great young talent and will be sadly missed.
The Zebra
BAFRA Member #217
Well - having digested the awful news from Tunisia - I'd like to pay tribute to Joel Richards.
I knew Joel personally - he helped out refereeing many of the BUCS League fixtures on a Wednesday afternoon for me (in my position as Referees Appointments Officer) at the University of Worcester.
A very keen official who wanted to do as much as possible - always used to get an email from him on a Monday inquiring if there was anything scheduled for that Wednesday - and if I needed an official at short notice - he was always the first one I would ring.
I watched him on many occasions refereeing at the University - and two things always struck me - he always had a smile on his face - and his interaction with players was of an extremely high standard. There was rarely a time he came off the pitch to negative comments from players - it was always lots of smiles, jokes and handshakes.
Another thing that struck me was his ability. For an official so young - he had a very experienced, mature style that would have done him nothing but good on his way up the system. The FA have lost a very capable and talented referee.
As a result I'm hoping to put into place either an official annual award for the sports official who goes above and beyond in their commitment to sport at the University of Worcester (where he also studied) - or a Bursary funding to provide kit and other stuff for the officials there that require it - both in partnership with the Sports Department at the University.
RIP Buddy - you'll be sorely missed next season...
I knew Joel personally - he helped out refereeing many of the BUCS League fixtures on a Wednesday afternoon for me (in my position as Referees Appointments Officer) at the University of Worcester.
A very keen official who wanted to do as much as possible - always used to get an email from him on a Monday inquiring if there was anything scheduled for that Wednesday - and if I needed an official at short notice - he was always the first one I would ring.
I watched him on many occasions refereeing at the University - and two things always struck me - he always had a smile on his face - and his interaction with players was of an extremely high standard. There was rarely a time he came off the pitch to negative comments from players - it was always lots of smiles, jokes and handshakes.
Another thing that struck me was his ability. For an official so young - he had a very experienced, mature style that would have done him nothing but good on his way up the system. The FA have lost a very capable and talented referee.
As a result I'm hoping to put into place either an official annual award for the sports official who goes above and beyond in their commitment to sport at the University of Worcester (where he also studied) - or a Bursary funding to provide kit and other stuff for the officials there that require it - both in partnership with the Sports Department at the University.
RIP Buddy - you'll be sorely missed next season...
RIP Joel local lad to me , tragic loss had a very promising career ahead of him ... Sleep tight buddy. Such a cruel world we live in