Football referee Stephen Bradford wins national award for 25 years of good deeds

Stephen Bradford refuses to take match fees, preferring instead to donate the money back to needy clubs or charity.

His good deeds have earned him the prestigious national gong at the England Football Grassroots Football Awards, set up by the FA to celebrate volunteers who put their heart and soul into the grassroots game.

"I’m absolutely bursting with pride,” said Steve, who picked up his award at a glittering awards ceremony linked to the Community Shield final at Wembley.

“I was originally blagged into refereeing a game because there was no referee one day. At the time I just loved playing and watching grassroots football. I could never have seen me refereeing in a million years, but here we are.”

For a quarter of a century, the Rotherham official has been a positive influence on and off the pitch, encouraging both players and fellow referees.

In all his years, officiating well over 6,000 games, he hasn’t once taken money for his matchday role, his fees instead raising enormous sums for good causes.

His selfless act has also seen him start a scheme at Greasbrough Youth JFC to help young match officials pay for their courses, especially those from less affluent backgrounds. Over the last 18 months it has resulted in several players at the club following in Steve’s footsteps and qualifying as refs.

Earlier this year, Steve was nominated for a county FA grassroots football award by another referee, Lewis Pursglove, who credited him for offering him valuable advice and support at the start of his refereeing career.

An independent judging panel chose Steve as the Sheffield and Hallamshire County FA’s Match Official of the Year, which made him eligible for a national award. He also has a regional Outstanding Contribution gong,

Steve got to meet the team of match at Wembley and was introduced to the crowd of more than 78,000 people at half time.

“It just fills me with pride that for all these years I thought I was just refereeing. But it’s beginning to dawn on me that I’ve touched people’s lives in a way I didn’t even realise,” he added.