Bristol Downs League: the 120-year-old competition where every game is at home
The referees in the Bristol Towns League are not always amateurs.
When Richard Morris wasn’t running in League One or Two, he returned to where he started to provide services.
“This is my chance to meet with old friends and remember how I went through the system and where I came from,” he said.
“It’s very important to remember who supports you so that you can support the next generation.”
A week ago, he presided over the ceremony in Portsmouth against Cheltenham Town before joining the 20-30 referee Gathered together every Saturday to host Towns.
“When you walk in the referee locker room in Towns, there’s a sense of community there,” Morris added.
“For many years, a lot of people started refereeing games in Towns and they really were like a family.”
A staunch in the Bristol referee community is Bill Bombroff. At 86, he played at the club’s old clubs, including Liverpool and Tottenham, as well as in the European Cup.
Today, he is a referee consultant for the Downs League, helping train new officials to join the league.
“He’ll give you so much information, and he’ll take you to the first week, call you or email you on Monday, and it’s a little note of where you should be.”
“Then he’ll leave you for two to three weeks, and then he’ll look at you again to see if you get the information he thinks he should work on.”
