Referee Joe Phelan will be officiating for the last time in the Isle of Man this Saturday when he takes charge of the Douglas v Ramsey fixture.
Joe has been refereeing since the 1980s and assisted with referee training and development.
He has been a leading light with the Isle of Man Rugby Referees Society acting as Appointments Secretary for the last several years.
Joe has not just officiated in senior games but has also given up huge amounts of his own time to take control in Ladies games and in the local schools, often refereeing more than one match in the same day!
Joe is retiring to life in the sunshine of southern Spain where he will be taking up the whistle in local Spanish games.
Joe will be a big loss from rugby pitches around the Island and in the North West of the England.
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