Generations game – father and sons pay tribute to Alf Arnold after making officiating history at Goole

For Innes Arnold and his sons Denton and Tolver, this was always going to be a significant, emotional and even historic weekend, following the decision by the RFL’s match officials department to appoint all three of them to the Betfred League One fixture between Goole Vikings and Newcastle Thunder on Sunday afternoon.

However the special family occasion was leant even greater poignancy 48 hours in advance when Alf Arnold – father of Innes, grandfather of Denton and Tolver, and one of Warrington’s oldest former players having turned 90 three weeks ago – died in hospital after a short illness.

“My grandfather was so excited and pleased that we had all been appointed together for the game at Goole,” said Denton, who refereed the match with his dad and brother as touch judges, and has been a member of the RFL’s Grade One panel since January 2024, having been a regular touch judge at all levels including Men’s and Women’s Super League since 2019.

“We lost him on Friday afternoon, and that made Sunday very bitter-sweet for us all. We wore black armbands in his memory, and a rainbow appeared halfway through the second half – it felt like he was watching over us.”

Innes Arnold had spoken with pride of his father a few days earlier: of how he made his debut for Warrington in 1954 when Gerry Helme, the Lance Todd Trophy winner in the Challenge Cup Final earlier that year, travelled to France with the Great Britain squad who would win the first Rugby League World Cup; of how he then joined the RAF; and of how he was the only surviving player from the Wire’s last Championship winning season, of 1954-55.

He spoke with equal pride of his sons, and how it was the enthusiasm shown for refereeing by a young Denton that had driven the journey to Sunday’s historic family occasion in Goole.

“There were a couple of incidents when Denton was very young, one when he refereed Tolver’s under-6s football team – and with his first decision, booked his brother – and again when he was watching the great Saints team of 2006 playing a game against Bradford, and spotted a penalty which had completely escaped me.

“He was still too young to get him on a course, but through a helpful contact at Saints, he was given the opportunity to referee at Knowsley Road at half-time in a Saints-Wakefield game. So his debut came in front of 8,000 fans.”

Denton applied to join the St Helens Referees Society one minute past midnight on his 12th birthday, and as he rose through the ranks, first Innes, then Tolver, found themselves getting involved.

“Standing in the touchline listening to people screaming at your son isn’t easy,” Innes recalled. “So I got myself qualified as well, and we’ve had an enjoyable family journey – from NCL games in Cumbria, to trips to Toronto for Wolfpack matches.”

Tolver now lives in Australia, having emigrated to Melbourne to work for the City Football Group. He is now a regular match official in the Victorian Rugby League competition, which is thriving on the back of the success of Melbourne Storm, meaning his return to England for five weeks this summer for family reasons offered a welcome extra option to the RFL’s match officials department – and providing the opportunity for Sunday’s historic appointment.

All three emulated Alf in attending Cowley School where all three generations earned rugby colours across seven decades. Alf and Innes both attended St Helens Parish Church for the funeral of the great Ray French MBE, of St Helens and Cowley, last month.

Andy Smith, the RFL’s Match Officials Coach, said:

“The contribution Denton, Innes, and Tolver all make towards match officiating individually is massive. The fact they come from the same family is something we have grown to take for granted now really, and we look at all three of them as outstanding match officials in their own right. It is only when appointments such as Sunday come around, that you recognise what a remarkable achievement it is for three members of the same family are on the active panel of graded match officials within the professional game at the same time, therefore making them eligible to be appointed to the same professional fixture.

“There is definitely an ‘Arnold Way’ which seems to be passed down from Innes to both Denton and Tolver. I count on all three of them as dependable, hardworking and dedicated to their craft.

“We also send out deepest condolences to the whole family for the loss of Alf - on behalf of everybody in the RFL Match Officials department.”

Photo caption: A family affair as the match officials take to the field with Denton Arnold (l), his father Innes (centre) and brother Tolver (right) running the touch lines.