Baker 50 not out

On Monday 8 February 2010, Hampshire FA, together with the National Referee Managers Team, Ian Blanchard (The FA's Senior National Game Referee Manager) and Graham Noakes (The FA's Head of Professional Game), paid  tribute to The FA's former Head of Refereeing, John Baker, who received his 50-year FA award for Services to Football.

The Rose Bowl Cricket ground in Southampton was the venue for the Hampshire FA Cup Final in-service training event. Typical of John, he has already become heavily involved in instructional work in the County. I suppose once refereeing becomes part of your life it will always remain so. It certainly is as far as John is concerned.

John started his refereeing training in 1958 in the front room of a senior referees’ house, undergoing a six-week one-to-one training course in Hull. He passed his examination with East Riding County FA and became a Class Three referee in his final year of school. Starting out, a career in teaching led John to college in Leicester, but a recommendation by his home County FA allowed him to quickly progress to a Class Two referee within Leicestershire & Rutland County FA.

Six years later, in 1967, John was promoted again to a Class One referee and joined the referees’ list of the Leicestershire Senior League before various transfers. He later moved to the Southern League and here he remained operating until 1983 when he continued officiating local football.

John’s instructional career really started to take shape in 1968 and following various tutor appointments on National Courses, was appointed as Assistant Area Advisor for Referees at The FA and covered a wide span of the Midlands.

1989 was an important year as John’s instructional responsibilities continued to grow to a national scale; co-ordinating the Registration and Licensing of Referee Instructors and instigating and promoting the training and registration of Referee Assessors.

Next in line for John was his appointment as Staff Referee for The FA. Here he developed as a tutor on The FA International Course for Referee Instructors. In 2000, John took the role of Head of Refereeing at The FA and managed his department until 2005. He gave technical assistance to FA representatives on the International FA Board (IFAB) and was a sub-committee member of the board on behalf of The FA.

In 2002, John worked for FIFA as an instructor and conducted courses on The FA International Relations Section in all six Confederations of FIFA. 2006 saw John travel to Germany as Match Analyst for the FIFA World Cup and brief players from Australia, Croatia and England.

John has not long been back from Saudi Arabia as he spent two years there as Referee Development Expert, by recommendation of FIFA.

An incredible career by anyone’s standards.