You Are The Ref

"You Are The Ref" is a British comic strip featuring a serious of awkward football refereeing challenges, which has run in various publications since 1957. Created by sports artist Paul Trevillion, also famous for Roy of the Rovers, the strip features contributions from several top referees, and was collected into an official book in 2006. [ [http://www.guardianbooks.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10401&mpe_id=13709&productId=46617&intv_id=34546&fromPage=home&evtype=CpgnClick&catalogId=25501&langId=100&ddkey=ClickInfo] "You Are The Ref: 50 Years of Paul Trevillion's Cult Classic Cartoon Strip"] (published 2006). ] From 2008 it appeared online at Guardian.co.uk. [ [http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/youaretheref] "You Are The Ref": online archive at guardian.co.uk. ]

Publication history

The evolution of the strip began in 1952 in Tottenham magazine The Lillywhite, which featured a cartoon quiz by Paul Trevillion. The quiz included one question per issue on refereeing. Five years later, The People newspaper signed Trevillion to produce a dedicated refereeing cartoon quiz, and gave it the title 'Hey Ref'.

In the 1960's, the strip began appearing in a much larger format alongside Trevillion's work for Roy of the Rovers in official Roy annuals, under the title 'If You Were The Ref'. But it was in 1969 that the strip took on its famous name, when it moved to be part of newly launched childrens' football magazine Shoot!. The strip continued to run until 1983.

In 2006, Trevillion agreed to return to "You Are The Ref", producing new artwork for the strip for the first time in over 20 years, which was published in The Observer newspaper. Later that year, a book was published collecting the history of the strip. In 2008, "You Are The Ref" also appeared on the BBC's Euro 2008 blog, and on The Observer's website at guardian.co.uk/football/youaretheref.

Referees

When the strip moved to Shoot! in 1969, leading referee Stan Lover, head of the London referees' association, was taken on to provide the answers to the questions "You Are The Ref" posed each week. In subsequent years, Lover was replaced by Clive Thomas, and then by Keith Hackett, the head of Premier League referees, who continues to provide the answers in the current strips.

Notes

References

Articles and books

*Trevillion, Paul, "You Are The Ref: 50 Years of Paul Trevillion's Cult Classic Comic Strip" (Observer Books, 2006) ISBN 0 85265 069 8

External links

* [http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/youaretheref Official "You Are The Ref" website]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/7479322.stm BBC profile of artist Paul Trevillion]