Andy Shepherd, who set up the training nights with John Garvey, contacted the KRA secretary, Chris Badcock, asking about the possibility of a grant to help purchase some training equipment.

Once the KRA had ensured that the money would be put back into refereeing, they donated £200 towards the purchase of training equipment.

"We would like to place on record our thanks to Chris and the rest of the committee for their generous grant" said Andy.

"The money has enabled us to purchase some training equipment, which will help to vary the weekly training sessions."

Before the round of funding, a referee’s training night was held at Ashford, but for officials around the Medway, Gravesend and Dartford areas, that was a long journey, making it difficult for them to take part.

It was therefore decided to try and secure somewhere local and as a result, referee’s training sessions will now take place at Medway Park, each Wednesday night between 8pm and 9pm.

Upon securing Medway Park as a venue, the Kent FA agreed to help part fund each session. Nick Dunn, Referee Development Officer for the Kent FA, said: “Maintaining fitness as a referee is integral to ensuring that match officials are in the right place at the right time to make correct decisions.”

“The Kent FA is delighted to contribute towards such an important aspect in referee development and these sessions are credit to the work these volunteers do.”