Pat Kelly delighted to be back doing what he loves: Working with referees

Pat Kelly is the new Chair of the FAI Referee's Committee.

For anyone involved in football, especially in Cork, this news will be welcomed by all and to see a person of the calibre of Kelly get this role within the FAI, they will be thrilled.

Having spent 10 years working with the FAI over a decade ago, Kelly is delighted to be back doing what he loves, and he hopes his past experiences will be key to improve the standard of refereeing across the country.

This week he was appointed to his new role in which he is really looking forward to and here he tells us about his hopes and desires going forward.

"I was obviously delighted after giving a lifetime and still observing to Irish refereeing for over more than a 50-year period and honoured that the association have put their trust now in me to help enhance the future of Irish refereeing," said Kelly.

"I received an expression of interest two months ago to which I submitted my application. I was granted an interview one month later and received confirmation on Thursday that my application had been successful."

Kelly's two-year term will begin soon and there's no doubt that the Blackrock man has what it takes to improve the structure of refereeing from grassroots to the top level.

"I will meet with the FAI over the next few weeks to formulate the panel of twelve Committee members which will include one from each of the provinces, a LOI representative, and one from the ISRS executive, Women's refereeing, School Football, Referee Observer, an administrator and a board member. 

"The two year term will begin as soon as the Committee is formed and my role will be to set out a strategy with the help of the Committee for all strands of Football from grassroots refereeing to the FIFA panel.

"My previous role's within the Association were LOI Referee Manager and Manager of the Referee's department for ten years from 2001 to 2011. 

"I am a grassroots and LOI Observer and still active in those roles and I was a grassroots referee from 1970 to 1974, LOI from 1974 to 1996 and FIFA Referee from 1988 to 1994, after which I became a FIFA/UEFA Observer until 2019."

Kelly can be seen on most pitches around Cork on any given day in particular to watch upcoming referees. 

He is always there to give support and didn't need to be hired by the FAI in order to do so but now in his new role, he will have the opportunity to ensure the standards are raised higher and his experiences will play a key role.

"I hope to bring my previous experiences to the role and involve the coach education manager to help refereeing at all levels. 

"I will work alongside the referee department administrators and will act as support for the FAI in all matters pertaining to refereeing matters including recruitment and retention and to continue the good work of the department."

Always quick to praise the world of refereeing and how it gave him a great career which spanned for over half a century, Kelly is eager to get more young boys and girls involved in the game as he believes it can bring so much joy as-well as a great career for many people.

"I have always enjoyed my role within the refereeing family and that has continued to this day. 

"The enjoyment has been particularly satisfying over the years and I hope this continues into the future which I'm sure it will. 

"My whole life is immersed in refereeing and took it on at a very young age and I would love to see more young boys and girls take on the challenge of refereeing in which there are great opportunities to help them to develop their personalities and get as much enjoyment out of the game as I and a lot of my colleagues did."