A FORMER teacher at a Denton primary school is fulfilling his dream as full-time referee in the Football League.
Matt Donohue, who oversaw Greswell’s sport provision during his eight-year tenure at the Denton-based school, has swapped the classrooms and pupils for football stadiums and big-name players.
From Leeds United’s Elland Road and Sheffield Wednesday’s Hillsborough, to Ipswich Town’s Portman Road and even Wembley Stadium, Matt has enjoyed a rapid rise up the football pyramid and makes no secret of his ultimate aim – to officiate in the Premier League.
Matt, who has taken charge of 10 Championship fixtures in the opening stages of the 2023/24 season, was promoted to the assistant list of referees in 2014 and has since excelled to the second tier.
Along the way, the Southend-born referee has also been tasked with officiating the National League Play-Offs in 2018, before acting as a Fourth Official for the FA Trophy Final the following season.
Eagle eyed viewers may have spotted Matt during Preston North End’s clash against Millwall on Saturday, October 21, as he took charge of the 1-1 draw at Deepdale Stadium, which was broadcast live on Sky Sports Football.
Matt has since officiated the 1-1 draw between Bristol Rovers and Stevenage at the Memorial Ground in League One – a result which coincidentally brought an end to Joey Barton’s reign in charge of The Pirates – and the Championship fixture between Hull City and Huddersfield last weekend.
Now, with the international break upon us, the 35-year-old has the opportunity to recharge his batteries in preparation for his next instalment of fixtures in the hectic run-up to Christmas.
Speaking to The Correspondent, Matt said: “There’s never been more support from PGMOL to help develop us as officials through coaching, sport psychology and sports science to name but a few. With access to all those different things, it gives me and everyone else the best opportunity to try and fulfil the dream of becoming a Premier League official.
“It’s my fifth season in The Championship, I’ve gained a lot of experience and refereed a lot of important games which I’ve thoroughly enjoyed. It’s about about continuing my journey and always aiming to be the best I can be. I’ve also gained valuable experience as a fourth official at West Ham United and Liverpool FC.
“The higher you go in any walk of life the harder the competition, but it’s definitely something I’m aspiring to and something I’d love to do.”
Due to the nature of modern-day football, Matt – and all the other referees at every level of the pyramid – is faced with constant scrutiny and a barrage of insults from hostile fans. However, he feels it’s his responsibility to deal with the situations in a calm and effective manner – an aspect of the game called ‘parking decisions’. Matt added: “If something has happened and you’ve made that decision, you’ve got to move on quickly from it.
“Off the pitch, a lot of the work I did with the children at Greswell about growth mindset, getting in as many hours of practice as possible and learning from your mistakes is something I use in football today. It all sounds very cliché and basic, but having those fundamentals and ethics has always served me quite well.
“They’re the principles I had when I was teaching and I’ve managed to transfer them into refereeing as well.”
Matt’s role has changed considerably since making the jump into the professional ranks of officiating.
He once had to juggle his time between teaching at Greswell and travelling up and down the country on Tuesday nights to take charge of games.
Now, he has the privilege to focus all of his attention on football-related matters, whether that be on the pitch, during mentoring sessions or in the gym to improve his fitness.
However, Matt hasn’t abandoned his routes and spends a lot of time delivering speeches to aspiring referees at schools in Manchester. He said: “The fitness training is a big part of it -I’m in the gym and on the pitch a lot. There are days when we have double sessions, and alongside that we have sessions where we review our games and have a team meeting with a coach. We also look ahead to our next fixtures and review the tactical side of things – how teams set up and what we’re expecting – so when I did become full-time it became a lot more in depth, but that just comes with the territory and something I enjoy
“When I was juggling my time between refereeing and teaching, I was really fortunate that John Cooper, the headteacher, would let me go to games on a Tuesday night at Bristol Rovers or Gateshead, but now I have more time to make sure my preparation is as good as possible, in terms of nutrition and fitness, and I’m able to maximise all the benefits of being full-time.
“One of the things we’re lucky enough to do is to go into schools and deliver speeches to pupils about refereeing. Since becoming full-time, I’ve gone back into Greswell, Dowson, Cannon Burrows, Greenside, and Russell Scott. The key thing is to make children aware that there are other avenues into football, whether that be administrative, coaching or refereeing that they can access. We have a responsibility to be more role models for other people in the community – that’s a huge part of what we want to achieve.”