Chichester student is celebrating a major career milestone after refereeing his first televised football match.
Johnny Kane, a third-year Physiotherapy student at the University of Chichester, took charge of a National League South fixture between Chelmsford City and Maidstone United last month. The match was broadcast live across Europe on subscription service DAZN.
Johnny first took up refereeing at the age of 16 as a way to earn some extra money, but his interest quickly developed into a serious career path after joining the FA’s Centre of Refereeing Excellence scheme. Since then, he has risen rapidly through the ranks and now officiates multiple games each week as a Level 3 referee, including fixtures in the National League South.
His performances have also seen him selected to represent FA CORE at several Premier League academy tournaments, where he officiated a number of finals.
Balancing his studies with his refereeing commitments has not been without challenges.
“It’s been tough to fit it around my studies – without the support of my family and my girlfriend it wouldn’t be possible. Balancing a demanding degree in physiotherapy with refereeing isn’t easy, but you just have to compartmentalise it – when I’m refing I’m not thinking about my physio work,” he said.
Reflecting on his televised debut, Johnny added: “The TV game was a bit of a whirlwind really, but it was a really nice moment to share with my family. It made all the hard work worthwhile. I took the advice of fellow referees – you have to treat it like every other game and not think about the cameras!”
Looking ahead, Johnny hopes to continue progressing in both careers.
“I’d like to combine working as a physio with refereeing and see how far I can take both opportunities!”
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