The WFLA are pleased to announce that one of our top referees, Mike Willmore, has agreed to become the new WFLA Referee’s Appointments Officer. Mike succeeds Mick Hill, who will be a hard act to follow, but we have every confidence that Mike will be a major success in his new role.
Mike Willmore says, “I have been actively involved in Open Age football as a player from 1973 until 1999, and then as a referee from 2000, until the present date and am currently Chair of Fixtures & Referees for the Lancashire Amateur League ; one of the oldest and largest Saturday afternoon Football Leagues in the North West of England.”
“In 2017 I was asked would I cover a Walking Football match at Heywood in Greater Manchester and was assured my inexperience would not matter as “there are only a few rules”! From there I became one of the Greater Manchester Walking Football League’s regular referees and my love of walking football has grown accordingly, as has my new refereeing career which now embraces the recently formed Leagues in Lancashire and Cheshire.”
“I have been privileged to be invited by Mick Hill and the WFLA to referee in the National Finals for some years now, firstly at Leek and latterly at Redditch, and was massively impressed both by the amount of organisation put into the events and the execution of that organisation over the two days of competition. Walking football has reinvigorated my refereeing career and it is an honour to be appointed the new Referees’ Appointments Officer as Mick Hill moves on to further his commitment to, and roles within, the FA.
“The appointment also gives me the chance to give something back to the game that has given me so much over the past seven years. As an individual Mick is irreplaceable but I will do my best to cover the WFLA’s loss and trust members will find me both approachable and supportive as the game we love moves forward apace.”
Welcome on board Mick.
