Everyone knows how tough a job being a referee is. No game of football – either 11 a side or minifootball – could take place without them, but they are often criticized and seldom loved.
Well, the tables were turned this week as the players in one UK Minifootball League presented the referee with a player-of-the-season trophy in recognition of his sterling service at the league.
The referee in question, Mike Walls, has refereed the three leagues in the town since they started five years ago. In that time, incredibly, he has not missed a single evening’s action and it was this magnificent record that prompted the players to get together and buy Mike his trophy.
UKMA’s Alex Young joined in with the praise for Mike and said: “It really is a fantastic gesture from the players, but more than that it proves that Mike is not just a superb referee but a superb person. Our leagues would not run without people like him.”