'I still love football the way I always have'

Bill Martin has been a referee since 1970

At 85 years old, Bill Martin knows he must be one of the oldest grassroots football referees in the country - but he has no intention of hanging up his whistle.

I meet him at the Frenchfields sports facility near Penrith as he is about to take charge of an under-12s match.

Although he must have officiated thousands of similar games in the more than 50 years he has been a referee, he still feels the same excitement.

"I still love football the way I always have," he says.

"It’s the enthusiasm of all the kids playing, both teams doing all they can and enjoying it."

And do they respect you, I ask?

"Yes, yes, they do," he says.

On this evening, he jogs about the pitch as Castletown FC from Penrith run out 3-0 winners, enjoying an easy relationship with both teams.

Mr Martin’s lifelong love affair with the game began in the years after World War Two when his father would take him to watch Carlisle United.

"I was eight when I went to my first game, it was against Wrexham - although Carlisle lost 2-1.

"But I loved everything about football - it's almost the only thing I think about."

'For as long as I can'

Mr Martin, from Carlisle, first started refereeing in 1970, and over the years has seen a number of young players who went on to become professionals.

The best?

"Matt Jansen [who played for Carlisle, Crystal Palace and Blackburn], he was brilliant," says Mr Martin.

"When he was young, he was like George Best, he could go both ways with the ball."

These days, Mr Martin is the appointments secretary of the Penrith and District Junior Football League.

As well as taking games himself, he organises referees for junior matches, many just teenagers starting out.

Some of his friends in football are so impressed they are keen to see him receive an MBE for services to the grassroots game.

He is touched - but says he is not stopping yet.

"I’ll go on for as long as I can, if they need someone, I’ll still be on hand to do it."