IT’S been a remarkable career already – but it turns out it’s just getting started.
Chris Birchall spent a season on loan with St Mirren – a year after gracing the 2006 World Cup with a Trinidad and Tobago side in the company of Dwight Yorke and Russell Latapy.
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That adventure itself – including running a star-studded England close – is enough to write a book in itself.
But soon he was off to LA Galaxy in the MLS, where Birchall played alongside the likes of David Beckham over the course of two and a half seasons.
And now he’s going down another pass less travelled, after agreeing a three-year deal to with the PGMOL to become one of the first of a job lot of former pro footballers to be accepted as professional referees.
He wrote on X: “I am over the moon to accept a 3yr contract offer from the FA PGMOL to become one of the first ex players to transition into professional refereeing!
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“Huge thanks to the PFA and Premier League along with FA PGMOL for this opportunity.”
There’s a number of former professionals currently transitioning to the refereeing fraternity north of the border too.
Sean Murdoch, a former goalkeeper with Dunfermline, has already refereed some of the biggest matches the Scotland women‘s game has to offer.
While former Scotland Under-21 star Jamie McCunnie – a veteran of Dundee United, Dunfermline Athletic, East Fife, Hartlepool United and Ross County – is now a referee.
McCunnie also embarked on a career in management with Broughty Athletic, but decided to take the sideways move into refereeing.
He has said: “There’s a shortage of referees. And if there’s no referees, there’s no game.
“I was fortunate enough to get a career through football, so why not give a bit back.
“If somebody makes a really bad mistake, I am like ‘yeah, I’ve done that’.
“I’ve had three or four red cards and every single one of them was for the same thing.”
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