Following the Winter Referee Committee meeting, the Scottish FA are delighted to confirm a number of mid-season promotions in both Refereeing and Assistant Referee pathways.
Greg Soutar moves into Category 1 Performance, with John Stewart and Alastair Taylor receiving respective Specialist Assistant Referee promotions. There are five new additions to the SAR pathway with Ross Anderson, Kevin Buchanan, Chris Gentles, Ian Hart and Will Pare moving in to the Development group.
Another notable promotion is the former professional footballer Sean Murdoch reaching Category 1 Development. The ex-goalkeeper for Hibernian and Dunfermline told of his delight at reaching the milestone:
“The amount of hard work and dedication going in to becoming a Category 1 is enormous, so when the hard work pays off there is no better feeling. The support from fellow officials and the department has been something else and I’m hoping this the start of a long and successful journey.
"For any current or ex-footballers like me I would say go for it. I retired from playing at the age of 32 to give myself the best opportunity within refereeing as I understood the demands and length of process of becoming a Cat 1.
“I’ve always held an interest in refereeing and knowing the laws of the game, I passed the course when I was 23 which led to me refereeing amateur games throughout my whole footballing career on a Sunday - even when I was in England and America. The benefits of it are countless, meeting great people, communicating with players and the amount of stadiums you see is great.
"You get a totally different insight from being a referee compared to being a player and I really thrive on the challenge of moving forward as a new Cat 1. I would encourage anyone, not just ex-footballers, to be a referee, gain that experience and learn and just go for it.”
Another former player, Mark Daly, is promoted Category 3 which makes him eligible to run the line in the SPFL.
Finally, Calum Foreman, Lee Paterson, Jonatan Siluk and Kevin Totten are promoted to Category 3 Development which now officially confirms them on the Senior list of referees.
Full list of promotions
Re-classify Category 1 Performance: Greg Soutar (Angus & Perthshire)
Re-Classify Category 1 Development: Sean Murdoch (Glasgow)
Re-Classify Category SAR Select: John Stewart (Fife)
Re-Classify Category SAR Performance: Alastair Taylor (Renfrewshire)
Re-Classify SAR Development: Ross Anderson (Lanarkshire), Kevin Buchanan (Moray & Banff), Chris Gentles (Glasgow), Ian Hart (Glasgow) and Will Pare (Edinburgh)
Re-Classify Category 3: Mark Daly (Lanarkshire)
Re-Classify Category 3 Development: Calum Foreman (Fife), Lee Paterson (Angus & Perthshire), Jonathan Siluk (Aberdeen), and Kevin Totten (Lanarkshire)