23/08/2026
Monday 17th August 2026
NEW HOME, NEW BRAND, NEW START!
The first meeting of the Chesterfield & North Derbyshire Referees Association took place ahead of the new season at our new home, The Hollingwood Hotel, Hollingwood, Chesterfield S43 2LG, and we were warmly welcomed by Leanne and her staff.
Our new home allows us plenty of room to welcome guests and new members in a friendly,social environment along with the opportunity to potentially hold outdoor events in the summer period.
Our first meeting was sponsored by the Central Midlands Alliance Football League and we were very pleased to welcome the League Secretary, Jim Sharp to give us a presentation on the league structure and some new initiatives being introduced across this league.
Most notably is the engagement with Clubs to work on behaviours and respect for opponents and match officials.
The Central Midlands League is a key stepping stone for all the referees in our area.
Geographically people in Chesterfield are ideally placed to officiate matches in all corners of the league, from Scunthorpe in the North East to Burton on Trent in the South.
Jim was keen to stress that all match officials including those newly qualified are welcome to officiate in the league.
We were delighted to also welcome Alex Walker from Derbyshire County FA who spoke about initiatives that are going on within the county to support clubs and communitiesx
Alex also provided us with an internal DCFA update, including the progress being made with a new Referees Development Officer being appointed.
Our friend and colleague Jamie O'Connor then provided us with a breakdown of the new laws of the game and how we might interpret those new laws at grassroots level.
A good debate and some terrific questions but the main learning point was for us all to apply the law calmly and sensibly and not draw attention to ourselves.
Chris Roberts updated us on the plans ahead of the 60th anniversary of the Chesterfield Sunday League including the work on the match day programme for the Alma Cup Final being held in May next year.
Chris also shared with us the work being done to project the image and news of the league through local media including six articles in recent weeks in the Derbyshire Times.
In one of his many other roles Chris then kindly provided updates on the DCFA Promotion Pathway and shared that the meeting on 7th September is when all new candidates will be given a presentation on the process.
The CSL will be using its games to coach and support all those in the area on the pathway.
Ben Frost reassured us that we will continue to support our new and inexperienced match officials with our monthly coaching sessions.
New topics are being put together but members were reminded that the agenda is very fluid and all topics to help encourage, help and support referees will be considered.
Andy Gascoigne then spoke about the magnificent night of the Sparkle Walk which raised over £388k for Ashgate Hospice.
Andy along with Ben and Chris did the walk alongside many colleagues of his beloved wife, Mary in her memory.
The registration for next year’s walk is open and the CNDRA is inviting every member to be part of a wonderful night.
We then took time to reflect on the achievements of last season and present our local Referee Association Awards for the 25/26 season.
Referee of the Year - Chris Dixon
Young Referee of the Year - Leo Eaton
New Referee of the Year - Tom Wall
Member of the Year - Oliver Buckley
New Member of the Year - Ollie Eaton-Shaw
Chairman's Award - Ben Frost
Our raffle on the night raised over £40 for the society funds.
Whether you stand at the bar for a chat or prefer settling into a comfy chair with a pint, you’ll find everything you need at The Hollingwood Hotel in Hollingwood.
