Soccer ref announces retirement by holding red card
Austin Atherley, 80, was initially reluctant to pick up a whistle when he was first approached
At the age of 80 and after 43 years manning local soccer pitches Austin Atherley figured it was time to hang up his whistle.
Atherley announced his retirement at the year-end meeting of the Peterborough and District Soccer Referee’s Association at Champs Sports Bar on Nov. 24. He later posted a photo on Facebook of him holding up a red card, a symbolic gesture that he was removing himself from the game.
It was a pretty good run considering Atherley was initially reluctant to become a referee when first approached by Peter Vanwensen all those years ago.
“To tell the truth I really did not want to be a referee,” he told his colleagues at the year-end gathering. “But once you step on to the field to start a game, you realize there is a thrill in knowing for the next 90 minutes you are responsible for carrying out the laws of the game to the best of your ability.”
Atherley grew up in Trinidad & Tobago and moved to Toronto in 1968. He came to Peterborough originally to help with the construction of the Sears store on Lansdowne St. He moved to Peterborough in 1973 to take a management position at the Sears store. In 1974, he registered his two sons Brian and Derek with the newly formed Peterborough Youth Soccer Club and signed up to coach. He was asked to join the executive by Vanwensen, Peter Norris and the late Ron Thompson and Art Cronk, He started out as secretary for the club.
“My main goal was to coach my sons,” he said. “There were no youth referees at the time and we had to referee our own games as there were only eight to 10 senior refs.”
At the end of the season Vanwensen asked him to take the referee exam and he became a referee in 1975. Since then he’s worked more than 2,500 PYSC house league, rep and tournament games. He’s done 20 or more tournament games in a weekend. He also officiated the Cobourg Tournament and the Robbie Tournament in Scarborough. He went on to referee the CGE league, Kawartha Senior Soccer League, high school, college and university games, old-timers, junior and senior ladies leagues and Lakefield soccer.
“I've refereed games in sleet, snow covered fields and waterlogged pitches. I was always on time and never reneged on an assignment,” he said.
One of the highlights of his career was refereeing a game at Lakefield College School and being introduce to Prince Andrew, who was visiting his former school about 15 years ago, at the conclusion of the game.
“The Prince told me I did a good job and I asked him if he’d pose for a photo with me which I greatly treasure,” said Atherley.
He offered thanks and appreciation to all the officials he worked with over the years.
“Even if I did not always agree with you I strictly adhered to the referee code of conduct by not critiquing in public,” he said.
His biggest advice to young officials is, “You have to be dedicated and fearless in executing your decisions recognizing and acknowledging your assistants,” he said.
One disappointment for Atherley is that it remains as difficult today as when he started to recruit young officials. He had one suggestion for trying to improve the situation.
“I personally think there should be a push to recruit players who no longer play the game and wish to give back his or her time for the love of the beautiful game while earning some extra income.”