Michael Oliver is a big hit with the men in black
Members of the Wolverhampton Referees’ Association picked up a few tips from one of the top officials in the world when Michael Oliver checked in, writes Nick Elwell.
Oliver was the guest speaker for the association’s latest monthly gathering at Fordhouses Cricket Club.
The 34-year-old has enjoyed a rapid rise to the top tier of his profession having been promoted to the UEFA Elite Group of Referees in 2018.
After being introduced to refereeing by his father Clive, who was also a Football League official, he joined the national list of referees in 2007 and later that year he became the youngest referee to officiate at Wembley Stadium when he took charge of the Conference National play-off final.
More milestones followed with Oliver breaking Stuart Attwell’s record as the youngest-ever Premier League referee when he took charge of Birmingham City’s clash with Blackburn Rovers, aged 25.
WRA chairman Phil Reade was the man who organised the event and he is hoping Oliver will have inspired some of the city’s fellow whistle-blowers.
“Michael was an absolute class act, it was a brilliant night,” said Reade.
“He came across as a really down to earth, nice bloke.
“He talked about his career and how he worked his way up from grassroots football.
“And he talked about that famous Champions League quarter-final between Real Madrid and Juventus in 2018 where Juventus were 3-0 up in the second leg having lost the first 3-0, and he awarded Madrid a penalty in stoppage time and sent off Gianluigi Buffon for dissent.
“It was fascinating to listen to him.
“There were a lot of young referees there on the night and they hung on every word Michael said. Hopefully it will have inspired them to push on with their refereeing and to try to go as high as possible.”
Another Premier League referee, David Coote, is set to attend the association’s next meeting in April.
“We have numerous evenings like this through the year and I think it’s really good for grassroots officials to hear from the referees at the very top of the profession,” added Reade.
The association continues to thrive with membership up past 170 – the second highest in the country.
“We offer our referees plenty of support and advice and it’s great to see the association become one of the biggest in the country,” added Reade.
