John’s still blowing strong

By Tim Howard

Nearly 30 years ago John Gorrie’s contemporaries were making jokes about his longevity as a whistle blower in “the beautiful game” as soccer is known around the world.

It was 1996 and John had been selected to referee at the World Fun Cup for Supa Oldies players on the Gold Coast.

When the Supa Oldies offcial handbook came out people joked that John had been refereeing when Jesus played inside left for the Nazareth All Stars.

“We believe that some people in Rome still hold John Gorrie accountable for not sending off Pontius Pilate in a crucial play-off match 2000 years ago,” the article concluded.

Fast forward another 27 years and John, a few weeks shy of his 84th birthday is stilling blowing strong every Saturday morning.

The Northern Rivers Times caught up with him last Saturday just before he headed onto the pitch to referee his third juniors game of the morning.

Asked why he has kept going the answer was easy.

“I enjoy refereeing,” he said. “It’s a motivational thing. I’ve done if for well over 50 years and I enjoy it.

“I have a great morning every Saturday.”

He said in more recent times he fnds he might go home and have a nap after his morning’s exertions.

The young players in the games John controls now are getting the benefts of a referee that controlled North Coast and Far North Coast premier league games into the 1990s, experiences he includes among the highlights of his career.

“When they get to that level they’re generally fairly intelligent players and good players and they test you,” he said.

“We did a lot of our premier league referring in Maclean. We did a little bit on Grafton, but not much.

“I enjoyed that, it was a challenge.”

John freely admits his refereeing now relies on experience rather than ftness.

“I can’t run now,” he said. “But I have good long vision.”

John likes to ensure the young players he referees get plenty of the experience he has gathered over half a century behind the whistle.

“When I’m reffng young players and they cause an infringement, I like to tell them why they’ve done it,” he said.

“I’ll say: ‘it’s

There were times John got out from behind the whistle.

“I played a bit, but I wasn’t very good,” he

Coast Football was the development of the round robin carnivals which have become a fxture on the football calendar.

“They used to have these carnivals and you’d turn up and fnd you might only play one game,” he said

“The president said could I do a round robin carnival and I said I was sure I could.

“In a short time teams were coming from everywhere from Port Macquarie to Tweed Heads.

I don’t think the men’s team will ever do.

“There’s too much money in those areas. I’d like to see it, but I think they’ll fnd it very diffcult.”

John said the attitude to girls playing soccer had changed a lot over the years.

He said in one of the games he refereed on Saturday a girl had kicked the ball into him three times and he’d had some good natured chats with her.

“She’s a top player in that team,” he said. “The girls play in the boys teams and they get to the level where they’re good players in that team.” accidental, but you’ve tripped that player and I’ve got to penalise you for it’.

He said it was a welcome change from the days when some boys resented having girls on the team or playing against them.

Although soccer has become his main sporting love, it was not his frst.

As a decidedly unft 14-year-old he found he enjoyed cycling and show so much promise he won the Northern Rivers Zone one mile championship in 1955.

“I’m talking to them all the time out there.

“They’re none competitive in these age groups, so it’s great to be able to teach kids about the game. And I enjoy doing it.” said. “So I found reffng more rewarding.

“I coached too. I coached rep teams here and I was president here for a while.

“Back in the 80s I did the soccer draws. That was a job I did for about 12 years.”

One of the major developments in North

“It was an important development. There was good money in them for the clubs and the associations.”

The success of the Matildas in reaching the fnals of the Women’s World Cup in Australia has delighted him and he thinks they’ve outdone the men’s team.

“They’ve outshone the big teams in South America and Europe,” he said. “That’s something

He was also a winner on the track but decided against continuing to ride about the time he left school and began looking for a job.

It was late in the 1960s as his growing family of sons, John Jnr, Paul, Mark and Maree got involved with the sport through the Majos Soccer Club, his love of the game developed.

And asked what he looks forward to, the answer is simple.

“Next Saturday morning,” he said.