Local referee set to take charge of leinster u21 decider
Westmeath’s Niall Ward will face what is surely his biggest refereeing assignment yet when he takes charge of the Leinster U-21 FC final between Dublin and Kildare in Navan tomorrow night (Thursday).
The Garrycastle man refereed the 2013 Westmeath SFC final between St Loman’s Mullingar and Tyrrellspass, and he also in charge of that year’s All-Ireland MFC quarter-final between Tyrone and Kerry at Croke Park.
Niall, who works with Allied Irish Bank with whom he is based in Tullamore, is a very well-known and respected figure in the Westmeath GAA scene. The chairman of the Westmeath Referees’ Association, Ward has also been involved with Garrycastle underage teams and he was a member of the management team with the Westmeath U21s for a spell.
Ward’s progress in refereeing circles sees him follows in the footsteps of several other Westmeath referees. Westmeath duo Barry Kelly and James McGrath (a former teacher at Athlone Community College) have both taken charge of All-Ireland senior hurling finals in recent years.
In the semi-finals of this year’s Leinster U21 FC, Kildare defeated Meath (who had previously knocked out Westmeath), while Dublin got the better of Longford. Dublin are the defending All-Ireland champions at this grade, having defeated Roscommon in last year’s national decider.
EirGrid Leinster GAA Under-21 FC Final
Thursday April 2
Páirc Tailteann, Navan (7.30pm) Dublin v Kildare, Ref: Niall Ward (Westmeath).
Extra time, if necessary, must be played.