{"id":376,"date":"2025-05-23T15:52:39","date_gmt":"2025-05-23T14:52:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/sywf\/?p=376"},"modified":"2025-05-29T15:28:32","modified_gmt":"2025-05-29T14:28:32","slug":"behind-the-whistle-the-trials-and-tribulations-of-being-a-referee","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/sywf\/2025\/05\/23\/behind-the-whistle-the-trials-and-tribulations-of-being-a-referee\/","title":{"rendered":"Behind the whistle: the trials and tribulations of being a referee"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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If you\u2019ve ever found yourself watching a women\u2019s football game at any step of the South Yorkshire footballing ladder, it\u2019s probably been odds-on that the man in the middle of the park is Richard Trinder. But, before you start turning to your fellow supporters and blaming him for that questionable call, let\u2019s take a step back and dive headfirst into the wild and wonderful world of a man who found himself wielding a whistle in the women\u2019s game by complete accident.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accidental Officiating<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Mirroring so many careers in football, Richard\u2019s journey into refereeing started without glamorous ambitions but with circumstance. Imagine the scene: It\u2019s 1988, a Scottish football tournament and a younger Trinder who is just slightly too old (and maybe isn\u2019t quite good enough) to play. Enter the picture, an organiser who was simply desperate for a referee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019d never done any refereeing before,\u201d Trinder reflects. \u201cBut they threw a whistle at me and told me to get on with it. And that was it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Would this be a one-off, one-time gig? Absolutely not. Many years later, as his son began playing junior football, Trinder found himself back in the centre of officiating in more ways than one. However, this time, it wasn\u2019t an organiser’s desperation but Richard\u2019s judgement of the poor standard of refereeing that pulled him back in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe standard of officiating was absolutely diabolical,\u201d he says with a look of disdain. \u201cYou could see blatant cheating going on, and I thought, \u2018I can do better than this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And so, with the potential of what most view as a thankless career ahead of him, he set off on a rewarding journey in the world of refereeing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finding His Feet in the Women\u2019s Game<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Trinder\u2019s ascension through the ranks of officiating dragged him from the depths of muddy junior pitches, the finals of local cups and eventually to the top of SHWGL. But it was the women\u2019s game where he found a community of clubs that truly needed him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe girls were complaining that the referees weren\u2019t very good,\u201d he says. \u201cSo, I thought, \u2018Well, I\u2019ll give it a go.\u2019 And before I knew it, I was refereeing matches in the Women\u2019s Championship.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You read that right- Manchester United Women, Huddersfield Town Women, FA Cup fixtures- you think if it, he\u2019s probably been there. While it might never have been packaged with the glitz, glamour or paychecks of the WSL (Women\u2019s Super League), it has provided him with memories to cherish forever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n