SouthernWorldwide.com – At 93 years old, Frank Foster remains an active and sprightly referee, still enthusiastically brandishing red and yellow cards and maintaining his fitness by running the field three times a week for his local soccer association.
With an impressive officiating career spanning 46 years and encompassing approximately 5,500 matches, this great-grandfather attributes his remarkable longevity and sustained match-day stamina to a lifelong commitment to healthy habits and a foundational diet, as reported by news agency SWNS.
Foster specifically credits his robust physical condition to the strict wartime rations he received as a teenager. He notes that this upbringing ensured he consumed “healthy food” rather than indulging in “sweets and cakes” during his formative years.
Decades later, his game-day preparation continues to be fueled by wholesome nutrition. He consistently begins his day with a morning bowl of oatmeal, cereal, or marmalade on toast, a meal designed to provide him with the sustained energy needed to officiate a full 90-minute match.
This dietary choice keeps him active enough to referee games for men, women, and children alike, a hobby he humorously states he will never “blow the final whistle” on.
His mental acuity and authoritative presence on the field are as formidable as his physical endurance.
A military veteran who achieved an outstanding 98% score on his referee exam in 1980, Foster relies on a regimen of old-school discipline to maintain control during matches, SWNS reported.
He believes that modern elite officials are too lenient and allow player antics to detract from the sport. To uphold order and discourage disruptive behavior, he establishes strict ground rules before each game commences. He has no tolerance for intimidation tactics or exaggerated diving.
“Those who go down like they have been shot, well, I would just book them,” he stated.
He is equally uncompromising when teams attempt to surround him on the field.
“I wouldn’t let them surround me at all,” Foster told SWNS.
“I would say to the players, ‘Stay where you are,’ and ‘If you move one more inch, I will give you a yellow card.’ You need to stamp your authority and let them know who is in control.”
Furthermore, he consciously avoids the modern stress associated with video review of plays. He believes this technology creates unnecessary “aggression and disappointment” over minor infringements like microscopic offside calls, stating, “I think it spoils the game.”
“Sometimes it is only the player’s toe that is offside — it is ridiculous.”
Foster admits he “never thought” he would still be officiating at the age of 93, but he embraces this opportunity wholeheartedly.
He meticulously maintains his referee kit, ensuring it is always “neat and tidy” before he takes to the field.
Foster, who resides in South Yorkshire, England, also makes a point of scrubbing his black Adidas boots after every game, ensuring they are “nice and clean” for his next officiating duty.
