League comedy-drama
Sharron said he never took himself too seriously and would often laugh about the beach ball incident, which many football fans still talk about to this day.
Dave Allison, Andy’s referee manager, described him as “a simply lovely man. A distinguished assistant referee of the highest integrity and the family can be proud of his achievements.”
Andy was also a key part of women’s football working as the manager for Loughborough Foxes WFC eight years ago, before he went on to become the club’s chairman.
“He loved his team and the feeling was mutual, most girls drop out of football but Andy has kept the core of his team throughout. They would all say they would sign for another year if Andy was staying,” said Sharron.
“The team got stronger and stronger and became very successful, winning many titles including the treble and was also a finalist in the Charnwood Sports Awards.”
His children’s former school, Sacred Heart Loughborough, is set now to dedicate an annual sports award to the students called The Andy Newbold Cup for sportsmanship in his memory.
His funeral was held in Loughborough yesterday and friends, family, and others who knew him lined the street to applaud as his hearse passed through the town.
A fund-raiser was set up in Andy’s name for two charities, Cancer Research and Catholic overseas aid organisation CAFOD. It has an initial aim of raising £1,000, but has already raised more than ten times as much.
If you would like to donate, search for Andy Newbold on the GoFundMe website.