Bristol Downs League umpires are not always rookies.
When Richard Morris is not working on the order in a League One or League Two sport, he returns to where he started making deliveries to do business with his products and services.
“It’s a chance for me to meet up with old friends and remember how I got into the system and where I came from,” he mentioned.
“It’s very important to remember who supported you so you can support the next generation.”
In the past he refereed Portsmouth’s best game against Cheltenham Town, before joining the 20-30 referees. who pack up every Saturday to officiate at the Downs.
“When you walk into the referees’ locker room at Downs there is a sense of community,” Morris added.
“A lot of the guys have been refereeing games at Downs for years and years and they really are like a family.”
A stalwart of Bristol’s refereeing population is Invoice Bombroff. Now 86, he officiated games in the classic First Division at clubs such as Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur and in the EU Cup.
Lately he is the referee consultant for the Downs League and serves to teach the league’s unused officials.
“He’ll give you a lot of information, he’ll walk you through the first week, he’ll call you or email you on Monday and give you little tips on where you should go,” referee Nick Baddell said.
“He’ll leave you for two or three weeks and then come watch you again to see if you’ve picked up on those bits of information he thinks you should work on.”
