Tony Ward (born 5 December 1941 in Highgate, London) is a former football referee and assistant referee. During his career he officiated in the English Football League and Premier League, as well as in FIFA-sanctioned matches.[1] He resided in New Southgate, London.

Tony Ward
Born (1941-12-05) 5 December 1941 (age 82)
Domestic
Years League Role
1962 South East Counties, Spartan, Athenian and Isthmian leagues
1974 Football League Linesman
1990 Football League Referee

Career

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Ward started his career in 1962, serving the South East Counties, Spartan, Athenian and Isthmian leagues, before becoming a Football League linesman in 1974. His first match was a Second Division game between Portsmouth and Nottingham Forest. In 1980, he was promoted to the Referees List of the Football League; his first match was between Lincoln City and Wigan Athletic.

Ward reached the normal retirement age of 48 in 1990, but he was retained for a further three seasons along with other high-performing referees. He did not have Premier League appointments initially on its formation in 1992-1993 but was regularly chosen for matches in the second half of the season. His final match was Liverpool v Coventry City in April 1993.

When Arsenal moved from Highbury to the Emirates Stadium in 2006, he was appointed Arsenal’s Hon Referees Liaison Officer.

Appointments

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Ward's notable appointments include:

  • FA trophy Final at Wembley between Altrincham and Runcorn
  • FA Vase Final 1979
  • Football League Cup Semifinal 1993
  • West Germany vs Brazil (Linesman) 1981
  • Reserve referee football league cup final 1989
  • Linesman European cup winners cup final 1989 Barcelona vs Sampdoria (referee George Courtney)

Testimonial Matches

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In addition to Robin Wainwright and George Parish, Ward refereed testimonial matches for:

Deliberate handball

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Ward became the first referee to dismiss a player for deliberate handball when he sent off Reading player Lawrie Sanchez in a match against Oxford in August 1982. Ten days later he dismissed Colin Todd of Nottingham Forest against Manchester United; Todd became the first Division One player to be sent off for handball.

Numbers board

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As fourth official for England v Ireland in 1986 Ward was the first official to use the numbers board for substitutions, the referee was Clive Thomas of Wales.

Private life

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He married in August 1963, and has two children and four grandchildren.[citation needed] He worked for 35 years for Mirror Group Newspapers. He is a keen follower of cricket and baseball.

References

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  • Football League Handbooks 1974–1992
  • Rothmans Year Books 1980 - 1992
  1. ^ "News Archive". Enfield Town Football Club. February 2003. Retrieved 2 December 2011.