The Cumberland FA are pleased to announce that Carlisle-based referee Scott Henry has been promoted to Step 1 Panel Select Assistant Referee (Level 3E) as part of The FA mid-season promotion process. 

Scott received promotion to Step 2 Select Assistant Referee (Level 3F) last January and has been mixing refereeing at Level 3 with assisting at Step 2 for 12-months, but has quickly shown the ability required with the flag to gain a second successful promotion to Step 1 and from the 1st February will be operating on the National League Premier and Premier League 2 (PL2) competitions. Earlier in his refereeing career Scott represented England/The FA at the London 2012 Paralympic Games, officiating in a Gold Medal cerebral palsy final. 

This season he has been selected onto the CORE X programme, which is a new group formed by the PGMOL and The FA with the aim to bridge the gap between grassroots and elite refereeing for officials from marginalised communities. Scott has been an active member of the Cumberland County CORE Group for several seasons and is part of the team helping to develop our local potential referees.

Scott Taylor, Cumberland FA Referee Development Officer, said: “Scott’s recent promotion reflects his hard work and commitment to refereeing over the past few years, particularly in the last 12-months as he has consistently performed to a high standard running the line on National League North at Step 2. Having taken a long time myself to work my way up to Step 1 level, I know how much effort and energy he has put into gaining this, and this mid-season promotion direct from The FA is his reward for that.

"He will now take another huge step up the football pyramid and be involved in professional football, travelling even further, and getting home even later! He’ll receive live TV game appointments, officiate at big stadiums in front of large crowds, and rub shoulders with well-known footballers. We now have two Step 1 Assistant Referees (myself and Scott) and a Step 1 Referee (John Mulligan) based in Carlisle so I’m looking forward to working with him at this level and being on games with them both soon.”

MORE: REFEREEING IN CUMBERLAND