THE final whistle has been blown for a selfless servant to grassroots football who continued to referee matches until he was 74.

Tributes have been paid to Ray Bromley who was a well-known figure in Sussex football for decades as first player then referee, manager and referee mentor.

The 88-year-old was also Portslade Royal British Legion president for many years leading one of the county’s best attended memorial services.

His funeral is being held this morning at Woodvale Crematorium in Brighton followed by a wake at Portslade Royal British Legion Club in Trafalgar Road.

A Hove Grammar School pupil, he was an army cadet who joined the Royal Navy after the war and was responsible for sweeping the coast for German mines and blowing them up with an “elephant gun”.

A member of the legion from 1948, he was awarded the gold badge for long service and led the Remembrance Sunday Parade to Eastfield Park on many occasions.

He worked for clothing company Baga before spending the last 30 years of his working life as a machinery troubleshooter travelling around the globe.

A talented footballer, he was a junior with Brighton and Hove Albion before the war and then played for top local amateur sides Southwick, Portslade and Hove White Rovers.

After hanging up his boots, he later became manager of Mile Oak FC and at one point had four of his six sons playing in his team which friends joked should be renamed Bromley United.

He was a referee at Sussex grassroots football for decades, only hanging up his whistle at the age of 74 in 2003, but he continued to pass on advice through his role as a referee assessor for the Sussex FA.

Ray, who leaves behind his wife Audrey, died peacefully on October 11. His funeral is being held today at 11am at Woodvale Crematorium.

Paul Saunders, Sussex FA development manager, said: “Ray spent his refereeing career in grassroots football rather than working his way up the system.

“If you look at the game so many aspire to get to the top level but Ray was the type of character keeping grassroots football going and giving his time and experience to younger referees coming through the system.”

Mr Bromley’s family has requested that anyone wishing to pay tribute to Mr Bromley makes a donation to The Martlets at themartlets.org.uk.