SUFFOLK Official Alex Shipp said his latest promotion is a ‘massive achievement’ for him.

Alex (pictured above) has been refereeing at Steps 3 & 4, mainly on Isthmian North, and an Assistant Referee on the National League North and South (Step 2) and the U21 Professional Development League.

His promotion means he will now be an Assistant Referee on the National League (Step 1) and Premier League 2. 

The 24-year-old, who lives in the Stowmarket area, has been refereeing for just over ten years, after passing his Refereeing Course in December 2013.

Alex was an Assistant Referee on the Suffolk U18 Midweek Cup Final in the 2017-18 season and Referee for the Suffolk Junior Cup Final in 2019-20.

He said: “It’s a massive achievement for me, having only recently been promoted back in January 2023. I’ve been training really hard this year, balancing this with a full-time job and a new daughter has been challenging, so it’s nice to be rewarded for that.

“It’s definitely up there as one of the best moments of my refereeing career. I don’t think it will fully sink in until I walk out for my first game at Step 1.”