Dwight Nelson, Gleaner Writer

Kevin Morrison

After 17 years of refereeing, 30-year-old Kevin Morrison of May Pen, Clarendon, now has his sights set on officiating in football's greatest showpiece, the World Cup Finals.

The Central High, Garvey Maceo and G.C. Foster College past student actually started officiating from the age of 12 while he was a player at that level.

The fast-rising referee recalls that his first success came in 1989 as a member of the May Pen Primary Under-12 football team that won the Clarendon competition. This resulted in his being invited to trials for the parish team. It was at these trials that he got his first experience as a referee.

"After I played in my first trial game, I was selected to represent the parish. I was then asked by John Green, who is a key youth football organiser in the parish, to officiate in the other trial games," Morrison noted.

But how did this kid, a 12-year-old manage a man's job with all the pressures associated with football refereeing?

"I was always a good player who read the game well, so I could easily spot the fouls and other infringements that occurred in the games and I would penalise players for those," Morrison told The Gleaner.

He added: "Initially, it was a little intimidating, but gradually, I grew in confidence."

Clarendon FA v-p

In 1999, Morrison passed the examination to become a football referee. He did duties in the Clarendon division-one competition where he spent five years honing his craft and gaining the respect of the parish's football administration, players, local teams and spectators, and later served as vice-president of the Clarendon FA.

Also, he was named the Jamaica Football Federation's top referee for 2006-07.

Morrison is now a frontline referee in the National Premier League and has even done a number of international games and other key fixtures, such as the Caribbean Football Union Digicel Cup Finals and the Cayman Islands Football Association league final.

The young FIFA referee cited his lowest moment on the job while in charge of a Premier League game between Portmore United and Arnett Gardens, when he was physically assaulted by a player.

Morrison, who is presently a teacher at Glenmuir Prep and a sports officer with the Institute of Sports, is quite confident in becoming the second referee from Jamaica to officiate in a World Cup Final.