We bid a fond farewell to Jacob Lehane, who is stepping down as our Referee Development Lead after three years of exceptional service.

Jacob's leadership has been instrumental in driving significant growth and development within our referee programme. Here are some of his key achievements:

• Recruiting a record number of 639 referees.
• 88% increase in referees across Leicestershire and Rutland since 2021.
• Retaining referees to surpass pre-COVID levels.
• Delivering two exceptional referee summits with over 250 referees in attendance.
• Hosting our inaugural County Cup final appointment evening at the King Power Stadium.
  
  

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Jacob Lehane with Shaun Waite, Head of Football Development and Facilities and Chris Hodson, Referee Development Officer.

 
Jacob has also pioneered several innovative projects, such as the Referee Friendly Club programme, the Arising Referee programme, and weekly referee support surgeries.

We are incredibly proud of Jacob’s achievements and are confident that our referee network will continue to benefit from the foundation he has built.

Jacob will be relocating to Manchester to assume the role of Referee Development Officer at Lancashire FA. We extend our heartfelt thanks to Jacob for his dedication and hard work, and we wish him all the best in his new position.

Additionally, we congratulate him on his continued progress through the Assistant Referee pathway, which included officiating in the Championship for the first time this year.

Good luck, Jacob!