Britain's oldest football referee William Hardy dies

William Hardy was better known to his friends and family as Harry

Britain's oldest football referee, who officiated matches until he was 88, has died.

William "Harry" Hardy started overseeing matches in 1959 but only retired in the 2015-16 season after a fall. He refereed more than 3,000 football matches.

The Erewash Valley Referee Society said he died on Wednesday - two days before his 92nd birthday.

Mr Hardy's son, Chris, said he was "very proud of him".

Prince William, president of the Football Association, gave Mr Hardy a medal for services to football in 2013.

Mr Hardy, from Ilkeston in Derbyshire, received a British Empire Medal in the Queen's Birthday Honours the following year.

'He just loved football'

His son said the father-of-two suffered a heart attack on Saturday and had deteriorated in the days that followed.

He added: "I'm very proud of him and so are all his six grandchildren.

"I used to get took [to matches] with him. [Before one game] there was two inches of snow and he'd say 'we're playing!'

"He encouraged loads of people [to take up refereeing] and brought a lot through who have gone on to referee across the world."

Mr Hardy joined Erewash Valley Referee Society in 1959 and from 1963 served in office as secretary for more than 55 years

Pete Carter, chairman of the Erewash Valley Referee Society, said: "In a nutshell he was a true gentleman and he couldn't do enough for anyone, especially young referees.

"He just loved football. The majority of his time was taken up with football and refereeing.

"A lot of people don't know this about him but Harry was a very good footballer in his day. Unfortunately he packed it in after he broke his leg.

"When I first took over the role 20 years ago Harry helped me an enormous amount."

Mr Hardy, who also had six great-grandchildren, joined Erewash Valley Referee Society in 1959 and from 1963 served in office as secretary for more than 55 years.