A few days ago The RA was notified of the sad news of Len Randall passing away, on a personal note Len provided a great source of wisdom to me following the Board of Inquiry in 2012, I am very grateful to Ian Davies for producing the obituary below.
LEN RANDALL
Len Randall joined the Referees’ Association in 1985 and, in a distinguished career covering many decades, he held office at National, County and local level. On 28th May 2018, upon Len’s death, the Referees’ Association lost a great ambassador, stalwart, friend and supporter. His legacy will form part of the history of the Referees’ Association.
Len will be remembered as a dedicated, committed, enthusiastic and, above all, respected member of the Referees’ Association. He was an honourable gentleman who believed in integrity and principles and this ethos formed an important part of his life. These attributes accurately reflect Len’s character and personality.
Len was a founder member of the RA Board upon its inception in 2004 and he would hold office as RA Chairman and RA Treasurer. Len was RA Chairman when the new format of the RA Conference weekend was established in 2005 at the Southport Conference. The foundations of the current Development Weekend were laid under his stewardship and the emphasis moved towards the provision of training for and development of referees. The Southport Conference will always be remembered as a catalyst for change and have a special place in the history of the Referees’ Association.
Len will be remembered for all the work he did behind the scenes at national level and the varied tasks included creating membership databases, preparation of AGM / Conference papers, printing tickets, Head Office administration to mention just a few for which he never expected any accolade. Len believed it was his duty to help and make a positive contribution.
Len’s efforts were not limited to supporting the national body and he also made important contributions at County and Local level. Len held office at Middlesex County RA as both Secretary and Treasurer and he was latterly the Chiltern District Referees’ Society delegate to Berks and Bucks County RA. He served in this role with distinction and only relinquished this post in the last few months.
Len had been a full member of Chiltern District Referees’ Society since 2008 and during the intervening decade he had made a significant contribution to the society. The esteem in which he was held by his local society is shown by the fact that he was twice the recipient of the Horace Freeman Memorial Award and he was the current holder. The award recognised the outstanding contribution he had made to the society. Len’s wealth of knowledge and inspiration would have a positive impact upon all members.
Len’s was a great believer in governance and rules and his undoubted abilities excelled in the reorganisation and restructuring process of the National Referees’ Association. Len was an influential member of the Constitutional Review Committee which ultimately resulted in the current Referees’ Association Constitution. It is no surprise that Len was the architect for new rules for his local society and County RA.
It was Len’s passion for proper procedural requirements that led him to take the lead in instigating the complete overhaul of the Referees’ Association Benevolent Fund Deed of Trust in order to ensure that the trustees acted in accordance within the law and the requirements of the Charity Commission. He also drafted a Memorandum of Procedures to be followed by the Benevolent Fund Trustees when considering an application for assistance from the Benevolent Fund. His guidance and advice would be valued by all fellow Trustees.
Len felt it was important to keep open lines of communication with members and societies. In order to achieve this goal Len was an avid contributor to the Chiltern Referee Magazine and his articles were always balanced and informative. He had also acted as editor of the RA Newsletter distributed nationally.
Len’s contribution to the Referees’ Association cannot be under-estimated and he undoubtedly exemplified the RA motto of “service before self”.
Len’s funeral service will be held on Wednesday 13th June 2018 at 11am at Breakspear Crematorium, Breakspear Road, Ruislip HA4 7SJ.