An iconic figure in the World of soccer who devoted his life to refereeing after playing

DIFFICULT to sum up the l i f e of a man who devoted over 60 years to soccer i n his home town but I think i t i s suffice to say we will not see the l i kes of Willie Bradley again.

He was a good friend and mentor to me for many, many years as he indeed he was to countless referees spanning decades not only in Sligo but throughout the country.

Until ill health took its toll, Willie was still active in the football world right up to a short few years ago and was regular figure at the national league grounds around the country and in particular, The Showgrounds where it all began for him as a young footballer in the 1940s.

Of course Willie was a businessman in the town too, running a courier business, the Interlink franchise, at the quays for several years. But it was his passion for soccer that Willie will always be remembered. Football was his life. He loved football, refereeing and Sligo Rovers, his funeral Mass last Thursday at Sligo Cathedral was told.

And it was in the The Showgrounds in the late 1940s where Willie first donned his boots. He finished up his career with The Bit O’Red in 1962 and had a short spell with Athlone Town too. He was also a former junior international.

He scored some 26 goals for Rovers and inside left was his favourite position though he often told me that goalkeeper was probably the one role he never fulfilled for the club such was his versatility.

Willie has been described as a tenacious player and wouldn’t go down easy, giving his all in the days where ‘diving’ or feigning injury was unheard of.

When he hung up the boots from playing it wasn’t long before he had them back on again, this time it was in the middle, a man in black as they used to say, a career which lasted over 50 years as he also moved into refereeing administration with the FAI.

For years he blew the whistle, refereeing at local, Connacht and national level.

He was a founding member of the Sligo branch of the national body for referees, the Irish Soccer Referees’ Society and it was the society flag which draped Willie’s coffin on Thursday last as it left the Cathedral with members of society, national and local as well as past and present, forming a guard of honour.

He was a proud society member and helped build the organisation throughout the provinces. Indeed, it came as no surprise that he was elected for three terms as its President in the 1990s and early 2000s.

He travelled the length and breath of the country to various meetings and functions. He was proud to see the branches flourish and was often a key negotiator between the ISRS and the FAI. He was particularly skilful in attempting to bring about resolution to disputes.

Running in parallel with his duties as ISRS President, Willie was also a referees’ observer, a role he took up when he hung up the whistle. This role involved him assessing referees both at local level in the Sligo/Leitrim league and also at League of Ireland level. Willie could literally pop up at any ground of a Sunday morning when he was assessing locally.

He’d often joke how the performance of a referee would be transformed once they spotted him pull up in the car which was invariably a few minutes into the match or as Willie used to say “when he (the referee) was well settled.”

The ‘ hill’ was one of his favourite grounds but, as I said, he could literally turn up anywhere. Coming back from a meeting in Dublin one Sunday, he stopped over in Boyle to watch me referee there.

Window down, he’d never leave the car and I suppose after many years of getting soaked on muddy fields he was entitled to the warmth it offered at that stage.

The de-brief was never given on the day in those days locally and was delivered without fail the following night at a meeting of the local branch in front of all members. It was educational that way for everyone he’d say. For the referee in the spotlight it could be a nerve wrecking experience while for those not under the microscope it was a case of sitting back, heads bowed in gratefulness that it wasn’t them! One thing Willie was strong on was standards and he never let them slip and this was drummed home at every meeting, which were never short when he was present such was his enthusiasm for his role.

From gear to markings on the field of play to the laws of the game, Willie was always adamant there would be no short cuts.

And while a referee being assessed might feel the brunt of a harsh word or so it was always done in mind of keeping standards high.

And, there was no better supporter of referees in the room than Willie Bradley. He was like a father figure. He knew some referees were better than others but everyone was equal in terms of support in his eyes as he always knew it was a thankless job in many respects. He was always the go to man when things were going well for a referee or when something had gone wrong in a match or there was a mistake made.

A call to Willie, if you had an hour to spare, would always lift your spirits and he would put you right again. He was an unbelievable mentor and coach. He would get calls from referees from all over the country seeking advice. There was many a referee who rang him on the verge of giving up the role but Willie would always coax them back with kind and encouraging words.

There wasn’t a situation he hadn’t come across before and he could always offer a solution to a referee who was unsure of a decision he or she had made and how to approach it if it came up again in their next match.

He dismayed if any referee was subjected to verbal or physical abuse and was never shy in representing his abhorrence of same to the football authorities and he would never rest until the culprit was dealt with appropriately. He had such empathy with referees. It was an issue he took up on many occasions at national level through his role as chairman of the FAI’s senior referees’ committee of which he was chairman on three occasions, the last term being in 2006.

Willie took great pride in promoting his referees and often referred to the Sligo branch as being the best in the country even if it was one of the smallest.

He loved his involvement at league of Ireland level and attending the annual seminar was a particular highlight where he met with old friends and colleagues. Those close to home in the West and North West were always close to his heart, people like fellow observer John Duffy in Donegal and Willie used to always says it was harder to make it as a referee nationally if living outside of Dublin and he was never shy about promoting those from outside the Capital. He took particular joy in the presentation at those seminars of the various FIFA badges to the qualifying referees on the international panel and I was so proud as another Sligoman in 2001 when he presented me with mine.

For ten years he assisted Pat Kelly in the Referees’ Department in running and making appointments at national league level.

To have Sligo referees on the national panel of referees was of immense satisfaction to him. He prided himself in their success as if it was his own.

Tommy Higgins, Noel Foley and Hugh Gallagher were the first to make the breakthrough and in the late 1990s I was privileged to make the grade at national level too, going on to carve out a 14 year career, the highlight of which was being the first and only Sligo referee to make it on to the FIFA international panel of referees in 2001, a fact Willie was so proud of.

Paul Hynes and Kieran O’Dowd too were with me on the panel from Sligo and the journey on match day to grounds like Finn Park and the Brandywell were always illuminated with laughter when we were accompanied by Willie.

He was ever engaging be it football or politics. He loved current affairs and was never shy about voicing his opinion on the topics of the day. He loved travelling to matches with referees but without fail he’d be giving out about any traffic delays. He just hated being held up, a throw back perhaps to his days a courier!

I recall one time some years ago on the way to a match in Derry with Willie and coming to a long tailback in Ballyshannon which hadn’t been by passed then.

Willie didn’t want to wait even though we were in plenty of time and said he knew a short cut. Two hours later we were still on the way to Derry having gone through Omagh! Late for the match of course but I’ve always looked back with a smile on that particular journey.

Refereeing was in Willie’s heart and he could read games excellently. While the match report when it came out at national level might have been short and to the point, his de-brief in the dressing afterwards was always of an exceptional standard.

He never missed anything in a match. He could form an opinion about a referee having seen them only once and could, with confidence, state whether they would make it or not. And he was rarely wrong.

I succeeded Willie as an FAI referees’ observer soon after my own retirement from refereeing in 2012 and like he was in my early days as a referee he was also my mentor when I began assessing.

Willie was a familiar figure as a referees’ observer in The Showgrounds up to six years ago when unfortunately ill health began to take its toll, leading to his passing away at the age of 85 last Tuesday.

He will be missed by the football community, not only in Sligo but throughout the country. As a player, referee, referee observer, and ISRS President, Willie devoted his life. It was no surprise that Willie was nominated for a Sligo Person of the Year Award some years ago for his work in football. His passing leaves a void that will certainly never be filled.

To his wife Mai and family I extend my sincerest sympathy. May he Rest in Peace.