Referees can often be divisive figures who bring joy or despair to football fans, depending on their on-field decisions. That is no different for referees in the National League.
However, which referees have officiated at the most games in the English fifth tier?
Robert Whitton (180 games)
Essex-born Whitton refereed 180 National League games over 11 seasons, making his fifth-tier debut in 2008. During his career in the fifth tier, he has handed out 524 yellow cards, 17 red cards, and 61 penalty kicks.
Whitton hasn’t worked solely in the National League, though. He has refereed in a League Two game, two FA Cup ties, and the Premier League 2 regularly. He has also refereed in the Women’s Super League.
Wayne Barratt (144 games)
Barratt debuted in the National League in the same season as Whitton and officiated 144 fifth-tier games over nine seasons. He wasn’t quite as card-happy as his contemporary, though, producing 392 yellow cards, 17 red cards and giving 22 penalty kicks.
Barratt’s only experience higher up the system was refereeing five FA Cup games. He also refereed a handful of under-18 Premier League and Premier League 2 games.
Karl Evans (142 games)
Evans made his debut as a National League referee in August 2011. He was a referee in the fifth tier for nine seasons, during which he took charge of 142 games.
During his National League career, Evans dismissed 20 players, booked 419 and gave 44 penalty kicks.
Unlike many of his colleagues, Evans also worked at higher levels of the game, including in the Championship, League One and League Two, as well as five games in the FA Cup. However, his stint as a National League referee was the longest of his career. His last appearance in the fifth tier came in April 2021.
Andrew Miller (127 games and counting)
Miller appeared in 250 games as a referee in all competitions, 126 of which have been in the National League. Miller booked 460 players, dismissed 15, and awarded 41 penalty kicks in the fifth tier.
At the time of writing, Miller is still operating as a National League referee, so he will likely add to his appearances in the near future. Apart from the fifth tier, the league in which Miller has most featured has been the Premier League 2, where he has refereed 91 matches.
Adrian Quelch (114 games)
Quelch made his debut as a National League referee in August 2016 and refereed in the fifth tier for seven seasons, with his last appearance coming in February 2023.
During his time as a National League referee, he issued 400 yellow cards, eight red cards, and 15 penalties. Like many on our list, Quelch was also a regular referee for Premier League 2 games and was in charge of three matches in the FA Cup.
Gary Parsons (114 games)
Despite not featuring in as many games as some of the referees on our list, Parsons has handed out the second most yellow cards, giving out 501 yellow cards in his 114 National League games. He has also awarded 32 penalty kicks.
His last game in the fifth tier came in April 2024. He also refereed one game in the FA Cup, having taken part in 45 Premier League 2 matches. In season 2024/25, he dropped down into the National League South.
In 2020, Parsons was diagnosed with bowel cancer and given just a 50 per cent chance of survival. However, he was back in the National League just a year later.
David Rock (109 games and counting)
Rock made his debut in the National League in August 2014 and has overseen 109 games in the fifth tier in his referee career. During that time, he has issued 285 yellow cards and 15 reds and awarded 29 penalty kicks. He is still a National League referee at the time of writing.
Rock has also refereed in League One and League Two during his career, as well as the FA Cup and League Cup.
Ross Joyce (107 games)
Joyce made his debut as a National League referee in August 2008. He refereed in the fifth tier for six seasons, taking charge of 107 games. Joyce handed out 384 yellow cards and 19 red cards and awarded 21 penalty kicks during his fifth-tier career.
Joyce has gone on to referee games in the Championship, League One, and League Two levels. In fact, he has managed more games in the third and fourth tiers than he has in the National League.
In addition to overseeing games in the FA Cup and League Cup, he also refereed a game in the Icelandic second tier in July 2015.
Adam Bromley (105 games)
Bromley made his debut as a National League referee in August 2012. He maintained a six-year career as a fifth-tier official, with his final game in the National League coming in April 2018.
During his time as a fifth-tier referee, Bromley produced 257 cautions, eight red cards and awarded 23 spot-kicks.
His other referee experiences away from the National League were limited, as he only refereed 18 Premier League 2 games and one in the old Premier League reserves.
Richard Wigglesworth (102 games)
Having made his debut as a National League referee in August 2009, Wigglesworth oversaw 102 fifth-tier games over six years. He handed out 325 yellow cards and nine red cards and also awarded 30 penalty kicks.
Like some of his colleagues on this list, Wigglesworth’s experience outside the fifth tier is not vast. His most notable experience, aside from the National League, was when he oversaw an FA Cup first-round game.
Are you familiar with any of the referees on our list? If so, let us know your opinion of them, the good, the bad and the ugly