Alan Kelly - FIFA Referee Alan Kelly GAME: England u21 -v- Italy u21 VENUE: Valley Parade, Bradford, England. DATE: March 26th 2002 RESULT: 1-1 ATT: 22,642. When I received the telephone call informing me that I was appointed to referee this game my initial reaction was of shock! I can honesty say that I was lost for words. When it eventually sank in the shock gradually turned to joy. It was a big game. Even though it was just a friendly, it was a World Cup Final to me. The following is a brief summary as to how the three day trip went, speaking briefly about my assistants, travel, liaison and the game itself. The game was played on Tuesday March 26th. Normal routine for a European game would be to travel the day before the game and return the day after. My two assistants for this game were Eddie Foley from Cork and JP Kelly from Kildare. They are two of the most experienced assistants on our panel and two people I get on with and work with very well. Having the experience of these two guys with me was a huge help. We travelled from Dublin to Leeds-Bradford airport where we were met by John Jones and Chris Sanders. These two gentlemen were our liasion officers with the F.A. Their hospitality knew no bounds. They went above and beyond the call of duty to ensure that we were taken care of first class. The night before the game was fery relaxing, a nice meal and someroutine football talk to pass the night away. On the morning of the game, we travelled to the stadium to have a look around. Normal procedure would be to have a security meeting but as this was a friendly, none was required. Some light work was being carried out to ensure the pitch was in tip top condition. At the ground we were met by the head of security for the stadium. He went through some routine security measures and informed us that they were expecting a crowd of between 17-20,000. After seeing the stadium, we were then taken to Elland Road, Leeds where final preperations were taking place for the England v Italy full international the folloeing evening. We were given a full tour of Elland Road and an insight into how a full international is prepared for. On returning to our hotel we were met by Dermot Gallagher who was my fourth official. Dermot as you know is a F.I.F.A. Referee also, and a member of the FA Premier League Panel. In spite of the nerves (very few may I add) that were gatherig in the pit of my stomach, I felt very safe surrounded by the wealth of experience that was my team! The afternoon consisted of a light lunch, some preparation chat, and a good sleep. We were driven to the ground at 6:30 (1.5 hours before kick-off). It was only on entering the ground that I realised and said to myself that this was a massive opportunity to have. A relatively inexperienced referee at this level, I was going to be on the same field as Premier League and Serie A footballers. It was an opportunity that I was determined that I wasn't going to let pass me by. A big crowd, a live audience on Sky Sports. All that had to be put to the back of my mind and it was back to concentrating on the job at hand. Eddie, John and Dermot all spoke to me as we prepared for the kick off. Team sheets were received, preparations and warm up was completed, it was now time for kick off. The game was full of action played in a very good spirit. Apart from the first 10 minutes I felt totally at ease once I found my feet. Eddie and John were outstanding and a great help. Dermot offered a few words at half-time and when the game finished (1-1 in goals and cautions) it's four to say that I was over the moon with our performance. A totally enjoyable experience. We don't get to officiate at games like that often, so when we do, you must get the most out of it. We travelled home the following day in the knowledge that we had done our panel of referees no haem with the way we handled ourselves. As I stated previously, chances like that don't come around very often, so when you do you have to grab it with both hands. Alan Kelly September 2002.

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