Riley's Italian Job

On Wednesday evening Mike was in Italy to referee the Champions League tie between Inter and Artmedia Bratislavia, but he has revealed that he enjoyed officiating a match between two under-12 sides at West Riding FA just as much.

"It is all about enjoying what you are doing, that is the key to doing things well," the Yorkshire official told TheFA.com. "Anyone who wants to get involved in refereeing at any level needs to be passionate about football if they are to succeed.

"It is best to go through your local county FA if you are interested in becoming a referee, you will be able to get in touch with other people there who have the same aim - to be a referee.

"Not only that but you will get valuable advice from senior officials who have been involved in the game for years. That kind of guidance is crucial when you're starting out," he added.

Referees perform a vital role in the game, and with the growth in the popularity of football, particularly for women and children, the demand for match officials is increasing.

The Football Association estimates that in some areas of the country, 20 per cent of games are played without a qualified match official.

To meet the growing demand, we have launched an initiative to recruit more men and women referees and to support them throughout their careers.

Our goal is to recruit 10,000 referees a year to ensure that, in future, every game has a qualified official who is receiving regular training and support from an FA mentor programme and helpline.

It is a positive signal that many English referees are involved in European and International officiating, although the game in the San Siro was an odd ocassion for Mike - there were no fans allowed into the stadium.

"It was a quite strange without the usual atmosphere generated by the fans I must admit. There were 100 or so media people in the crowd but it was very strange nonetheless."