Ken Aston
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| Full name | Kenneth George Aston | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
1 September 1915 Colchester, Essex , England | ||
| Died |
23 October 2001 (aged 86) Ilford, London, England | ||
| Other occupation | School teacher, soldier, judge | ||
Kenneth George Aston, MBE (1 September 1915 – 23 October 2001) was an English teacher, soldier, and football referee, who was responsible for many important developments in football refereeing - including the yellow and red penalty card system.[1]
Early life and career
Born in
Refereeing
On his return from military service in 1946, Aston became the first League referee to wear the black uniform with white trim which became the standard for referees. Up to that point, referees wore tweed jackets over white shirts with French cuffs, and pants akin to golf knickers. He later explained that when he spied a black flight jacket in the window of a war surplus store, he was delighted with the wonderful assortment of pockets. He immediately bought a couple of the jackets, thinking the pockets would serve him well as a referee. He changed to black knickers, kept the white shirt, and wore the new black flight jacket, creating the black uniform with the apparent white "trim."
The following year (1947), he introduced brightly coloured linesman's flags, one yellow and one red, in place of those provided by the home team, in the home team's colours, which had traditionally been used.[1] He explained that he was doing a game in the midst of a foggy London day. He said that the colours of the home team were beige and chocolate, colours he was unable to see in the fog. He explained that he went to war surplus store on the way home, purchased a pair of red and yellow rain slickers and made a set of brightly coloured flags, which he used thereafter, and was never troubled by fog again.
In 1953 he became Head Teacher at Newbury Park Primary School in Ilford, Essex, and progressed to refereeing senior League matches.
Aston taught many courses, including a series that was recorded for novice referees. He called the series, "Refereeing is thinking."
Aston refereed the
FIFA Referees' Committee
Aston did not referee any more games either in the 1962 tournament (having strained his
In 1966 Aston also introduced the practice of naming a
He also successfully proposed that the pressure of the ball should be specified in the Laws of the Game. In 1974, he introduced the number board for substitutes, so that players could easily understand who was being substituted.
He was also credited for the improvement of refereeing beginning with the World cup 1970 in Mexico through his efforts to bring about uniformity.[2]
Red and yellow cards
Following an incident in the
On the trip, as he stopped at a traffic light junction at
Aston later explained that upon arriving at his home, he explained the dilemma to his wife, Hilda. She disappeared into the other room, only to return a few minutes later with two "cards" made of construction paper. She had cut them to fit into his shirt pocket. Thus was devised the system whereby referees show a
These cards have also been adopted – with appropriate differences depending on the rules – in rugby, water polo, and other sports.
Later career
Aston became senior lecturer of the Football Association Referees' Panel and Chief Instructor for the American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO), a position he held for 21 years. In 1997, he was awarded the MBE.[4]
The Ken Aston Camp is held annually in Orange, CA. The camp honours Ken's commitment to service and excellence. The Ken Aston Cup, was an annual competition to recognise skilled referees in AYSO. The tournament was held annually in southern California. As long as they were able, Aston and his wife Hilda were the guests of honour on the fields at the camp and competition. Ken taught at the camp and they drove around the tournament in a golf cart, observing, chatting, and making new friends. Their golf cart carried a Union Jack, making them easy to locate.
After a multi-year hiatus, it was scheduled to be held in Costa Mesa, California in March 2020.
References
- ^ a b "Ken Aston". The Daily Telegraph. 29 October 2001.
- ^ David Miller: "Anti-British cloud hangs over soccer", The Times, London, August 22, 1972, p. 22
- ^ RefereeingArchived 6 June 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Wyatt, Beth (11 October 2014). "Gallery and feature: Local hero Ken Aston a 'giant in the football world'". Ilford Recorder. Retrieved 21 January 2022.