Kristian Griffith-Jones - Football (Soccer)
Australian Sports Commission
Sydney’s Kristian Griffith-Jones showed early talent in both soccer and cricket, but admits being critical of referees and umpires at the time. He took up soccer refereeing to maintain his fitness in cricket’s off-season and soon changed his mind. “The most challenging time I faced was sending the wrong player off during a game just on half-time and then having to sort out the mess in the team’s changeroom at the break,” the 29-year-old said. “I have a lot of patience for any official now.” Griffith-Jones said he believed his National Officiating Scholarship would give him an advantage over his peers in their efforts to gain A-League refereeing positions by ”opening up previously closed doors and showing me lots of opportunities to expand my skills”. He hopes one day to progress to FIFA international status.
