Veteran Rugby League referee, Tony Randerson, has been officiating since 1976 when a broken ankle led him away from playing amateur rugby and into the role of ref.
Despite it not being the route he thought he would go down, the 75 year old proud “East Hull lad” quickly found officiating infectious and has no intention of hanging up his whistle any time soon.
Alongside our partners at ACME Whistles, we were able to catch up with Tony and find out about his impressive career so far.
“I started in ‘76 and back then you just refereed amateur games unless you did the Rugby League exam,” he said.
“The exam let you progress up the Rugby League ladder so I took it in 1978.
“In those days there was no youth rugby so I started refereeing open age at first which throws you in at the deep end. You either sink or swim.
“I remember the first game I refereed was Ace Amateurs in the Hull & District open age and I really enjoyed it so refereeing quickly became addictive.”
Tony isn’t a big numbers man, but estimates that he has refereed upwards of a thousand games throughout the course of his career and is truly passionate about the role of a referee within rugby.
“I really enjoy refereeing,” he continued.
“It keeps you physically fit and it certainly keeps you mentally active.
“I love working with the kids. It’s getting 20-30 kids off the streets and doing stuff that they really enjoy.
“The respect I get is second to none.”
Tony now only referees in Hull & District and is also a Rugby League Match Commissioner and time keeper. He lives in between Hull FC and Hull KR stadiums – perfectly placed for getting to games.
Back in the late 70s, after passing his refereeing exam, he officiated Rugby League Colts..
“I mostly refereed the A team, which was the second team,” he said.
“I never progressed to the top of the refereeing ladder. In those days it was pre-super league, but I was never a first team referee.
“I did get the chance to referee two first team games. That’s when I was a touch judge and the referee went down injured so I was called upon to referee part of the game. That was my only involvement at senior level.”
The world of refereeing has drastically changed over the course of Tony’s career and he looks back on the time the rules changed just as he hit 50 years of age.
“When I got to 50 in 1996, you had to finish being a professional official,” he reflects.
“I was the in-goal judge at Wembley that year - my final year.
“Rugby League’s policy then was if you’re 50 you have to finish with regards to the professional game.
“A year later they realised they were losing a bit of experience by implementing this rule and they decided to make any referee who was turning 50 pass a fitness test in order to be able to carry on.
“Unfortunately, me and 3 others had turned 51 by this time and we were told that even if we passed the fitness test, we wouldn’t be able to continue officiating at professional level.
“That’s when I started concentrating on refereeing amateur games.”
This was also the time that Tony became a Rugby League assessor - a position which eventually evolved into the Match Commissioner and time keeper roles he still holds to this day.
Over the years, Tony has noticed lots of changes within Rugby League, mostly positive and said:
“Amateur-wise, the game is a lot faster nowadays, and there’s also a lot more respect on the pitch than there used to be.
“Most bad tackles now are accidental, whereas, when I first started, you had players in various teams who you knew were going to take somebody’s head off.
“Nowadays the game is faster, but the players are fitter and it’s a lot more disciplined.”
When asked who he admires within the world of Rugby League, Tony has praise for anyone who puts a shirt on, whether they’re a referee or a player.
“There are a few referees of my age, or a bit younger than me, that I admire,” he said.
“Lots of referees now start in their teens and that was just unheard of when I first started.
“Back then, you didn’t start refereeing until you’d finished playing, but I think it’s a good thing that referees are starting young.”
Tony is the perfect example of someone who lives and breathes Rugby League. He is the secretary of the Hull Rugby League Referee Society and the Administrator for the City of Hull Youth Disciplinary Committee.
Despite being born and bred near Hull KR’s old ground, Tony didn’t start playing Rugby League until he was 16 and joined Craven Park Juniors. This was the start of his Rugby League journey, playing for 14 years before taking up the whistle, aged 30.
As with many Rugby League fans, it’s the community of the sport that motivates Tony the most.
“Walking round town and there’s young lads that say ‘hiya Tony. Are you reffing us this week?’
“Sometimes you know their faces and other times you don’t, because, when you’re on the pitch you’re one with 30-odd looking at you so you can’t recognise every single player.
“The atmosphere, the friendliness, the camaraderie is great.”
Despite an impressive career, including officiating at Wembley at two Rugby League Challenge Cup Finals, Tony finds joy in every single game he officiates.
When asked about his refereeing style, Tony admits:
“I’m a loud referee. I shout and ball on the pitch. This is mainly because I’m small – even the under 11s are taller than me.
“I use an ACME Thunderer because it’s also really loud. As a referee, you need a loud whistle.
“You need to be heard so you can get your message across.
“I like to think, without sounding big-headed, that I am a good and fair referee.
“I say to all the young referees coming through that the laws of the game are important, of course they are, but player welfare, communication and respect come a very, very close second.
“If you expect players and spectators to respect you, it’s got to work both ways.”
Tony wants to encourage more people to try their hand at refereeing and said:
“I would recommend anyone give it a go. If you can overcome the initial thing of people shouting at you off the touch line, then there’s a lot more to be gained in the longer term from a refereeing career than there is from a playing career.
“Most players are going to be finished by their early 30s, but with refereeing you can go on as long as you’re capable.”
Tony shows no signs of slowing down and is determined to continue refereeing for as long as possible.
“I’m coming up 76 in November and I’m hoping that I’m not going to retire from refereeing any time soon.
“It amuses me when people are surprised that I’m still refereeing.
“I don’t know if I’m the oldest, active Rugby League referee in England, but I’m certainly the oldest in Hull and I’m planning on sticking at it for a while longer yet.”
