Meet the ref: Irvine Campbell
After a short playing career as a left-winger then goalkeeper while at Merrywood School, he took up boxing at the age of 13 and then switched to Olympic wrestling three years later.
He became a successful member of the Bristol Olympic Wrestling Club, which was based firstly at Merrywood Girls School then at their own headquarters in Bishopsworth, and he won the British 74kg class title in 1986.
Irvine was also the Southern Area Olympic wrestling champion at 80kg and took part in contests abroad, including competing as an individual in an event in Turkey.
He qualified as a football referee in 1996 and started in the Bristol and District League before moving to the Somerset County League.
He has since become an assistant on the line in the Toolstation Western League.
He also officiated regularly in the Regional Sunday League and has been involved in women's football, once as the man in the middle for a GFA County final.
While attending an FA coaching and management course, he was asked to coach young boys at a Totterdown club on Friday evenings and he formed an Under-11 team which started in the Bath TNT League, before moving up to higher age groups.
"Many of the lads are now regularly involved in senior football," said the level five official, from Whitchurch, who has been tempted to apply for promotion to the next stage on the ladder, with no problems about his fitness levels.
He remains closely involved with Olympic wrestling, not so much as a competitor now but more as an instructor and official in Bristol and in European events, having spent last weekend in Ostend.
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