FEATURE | TALES FROM THE TOUCHLINE

Former Southern League Referee hits the road to share his stories from the highest level of the game

Former Southern League Referee, Andy Garratt, has been at the very heart of some of the biggest moments in recent FA Premier League history.

As one of the top Assistant Referees in the country, he officiated at almost 800 professional games, including 449 in the FA Premier League, the 2012 FA Cup Final, 2008 League Cup Final and that dramatic Agueroooooo title-clinching moment for Manchester City against Queens Park Rangers in 2012.

He has rubbed shoulders with some of the game’s biggest characters over the past four decades and is now bringing his fantastic stories to football clubs in the Pitching In Southern League and beyond as he begins a new journey as an after-dinner speaker.

“It all really started by me telling a few of my stories at a couple of local golf clubs,” Garratt told us. “They were received with great enthusiasm and so I was asked to do an evening at my local football club, Rushall Olympic, whom I watched regularly last season on their way to promotion via the Pitching In Southern League Premier Central play-offs.

“The evening went really well and it gave me a superb platform to share my stories. I enjoyed doing it, those that attended appeared to be enjoying themselves and the club made a bit of extra cash from the night to go towards club funds.

“It gave me the appetite to do more. Such events where speakers can share their experiences in an environment where genuine football fans are relaxed and can enjoy stories from behind-the-scenes that won’t have heard before as well as having a great night out with friends and like-minded people is a fantastic way of raising money for both clubs and charities at the same time.

“I’m currently in discussions with a few football clubs, including some in the Pitching In Southern League, so I am looking forward to getting out on the road and sharing some of my stories about players and managers that I have encountered over the years as well as reliving some of the big games that I was involved in, such as the FA Cup Final of 2012, where I made the last major decision before goal-line technology was introduced, and that iconic game at The Etihad Stadium a week later with the Aguero goal which won Manchester City their first title in 43 years.”

Garratt admits that entering the world of after-dinner speaking wasn’t a route that he planned to go down once he hung up his flag in 2020.

“I thought I may have been given the opportunity to assist the up-and-coming Assistant Referees in The Football League in their quest to reach the FA Premier League, but that call never came,” he said. “I hadn’t really thought about going in this direction until a good friend asked me to speak for 15 minutes for an event he organised for his business.

“I was reluctant at first but having done it and quite enjoyed the positive reaction, he then suggested I go into public speaking, so I did a couple of Golf Clubs before the Rushall Olympic event last month.”

Garratt was just ten years of age when he first picked up the flag to become what in those days was known as a Linesman.

“My dad was a Sunday League referee and most of the time he had to do it without Linesmen,” he recalled. “I would have been around ten years old when they first allowed me to do it on the basis that someone was better than no-one!

“It also made my dad’s life a lot easier because the players would never moan if I got anything wrong, but it was a role that I thoroughly enjoyed and studied, which was a bit of an unusual route in the game for a teenage boy to take.

“I progressed through the Leagues and went on to referee several Southern League games back in the mid to late 1980s when you had to referee in order to keep your place on The Football League line.

“There is a clear pathway to lining nowadays where officials need to decide at a much earlier stage of their career path whether they want to referee or be an assistant.”

These days Garratt enjoys attending matches as a fan.

“I’ve been a season-ticket holder at my local Football League club, Walsall, since I retired in 2020,” he continued. “If Walsall are away I tend to find a local non-League game to watch. As I say, I have seen a lot of Rushall Olympic, but there are so many clubs nearby all playing at a good level and I’ve been enthralled by the Pitching In Southern League Premier Central where there are so many local derbies in what is a really competitive and entertaining League.

“Whilst initially I missed the preparation and ‘buzz’ of Saturday at 3pm, now I don’t give it a second thought and just enjoy going along to matches at all levels.

“I certainly don’t miss all the ‘issues’ in the FA Premier League with VAR and the current interpretation of the offside law. But there again, times have changed a lot even in the short time since I was an ‘active’ official.”

Any clubs who are interested in booking Andy Garratt as an after-dinner speaker, please call Terry Brumpton on 07771 802 048.