A chance encounter sent Les Withers down a road he is still happily travelling along.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
It was the late '90s and Withers had just relocated to Tamworth.
He was contemplating resuming his soccer career, which began as a boy in Kempsey, when he ran into then-referee Bob Barber while watching a match.
Read also:
That meeting led Withers back to the "referee classroom", as he put it, and he joined the referee ranks in 1999.
(He sat his first referee exam as a 14-year-old, and officiated at junior games in Kempsey.)
Over the next 21 years, Withers has refereed hundreds of matches, mentored numerous referees and tirelessly coordinated referees.
He calls himself a "football tragic", and someone who has been supported by myriad people.
"I love the game," he said. "That's why I do it."
Withers refereed his debut first-grade game in 2003.
"I have backed off the last few years, as I was never prepared to let a young, keen ref have a go."
A whistleblower shortage resulted in him handling a recent Premier Division clash.
"I'm lucky: most of the players respect me, and they let me get away with not being as close to the play as I should be.
"A typical comment is, I don't get out of the centre circle."
He likes engaging in "banter" with players.
"And whilst I wouldn't always enjoy the shouts from the crowd ... I now enjoy that too."
