Referee Dan McFarlane is determined to prove himself at the top level after making the step up to become a category one referee.
The 27-year-old from Aberdeen has been promoted to the highest grade in domestic football having impressed as a category one development official.
McFarlane started refereeing in 2010 and is thrilled with his ascent through the ranks.
Next season he will be refereeing in League One and Two as well as having the opportunity to be a fourth official at Premiership matches.
He said: “It means a lot to me, I did my first game in January 2010 and there has been a lot of hard work and dedication since then.
“I’ve been working at it for a long time and in the last few years my progress has been quite rapid.
“That’s been good and I’ve put in a lot of effort and it’s been worth it to get to category one.
“However, that brings its own challenges now, but it’s been an ambition of mine for a long time so I’m really chuffed.
“I was fortunate as a category one development referee to referee matches in League Two this season.
I’ve put a lot of effort in and it’s been worth it.” Dan McFarlane on his rise through the ranks
“Next season I’ll be doing a mixture of League One and Two and have the opportunity to be fourth official at Premiership matches.
“The next challenge is just to adjust the challenges next season and ultimately have a solid first season and hopefully learn from the experienced officials I get a chance to work with.
“You only get one chance at it so you’ve got to be up to the challenge.”
McFarlane tries to learn from his mistakes
McFarlane is keen to continue improving and won’t be resting on his laurels.
He believes every game he oversees provides him with an opportunity to learn and improve on previous mistakes.
He added: “I never come off at the end of a game thinking that I’ve nailed it and got every decision right because there’s an opportunity to learn from every match you referee.
“You might have had a good game and got a good mark from your observer, but there is always areas you can improve.
“The only way you do that is by acknowledging and learning from your mistakes.
“I’ve been at several Highland League games and been getting dog’s abuse from the fans at the end and you’re kind of second guessing yourself.
“Then when you watch the highlights back if you’ve got it right you’re pleased, but if you’ve got it wrong you look to try to improve upon it.
“That’s the only way you get better and it’s about how you learn from those mistakes that makes you a better referee.
“A phrase I like is ‘success is never final’ there’s always opportunities to improve your positioning, how you managed a situation, your communication.
“It’s only through analysis that you make those improvements.
“Sometimes in footage it can be clear that a mistake has been made and when that happens it’s about working back and understanding why it was made.”
The next refereeing class run by the Aberdeen and District Referee’ Association starts on June 16 and anyone interested in joining should contact association secretary Roddy Cobb at roddycobb@sky.com or on 07825 350962.
