At 93, Frank Foster is still running the soccer field three times a week. The great-grandfather has officiated about 5,500 matches over a 46-year career. He credits his remarkable longevity to the strict wartime rations he ate as a teenager, which he says ensured a diet of "healthy food" rather than sweets.
His match-day preparation starts with a bowl of oatmeal, cereal, or marmalade on toast. Foster, a military veteran who scored 98% on his referee exam in 1980, uses old-school discipline on the field. He believes modern officials are too "soft" and sets strict rules before kickoff to control the game.
He has no patience for intimidation or theatrical diving. "Those who go down like they have been shot, well, I would just book them," he said. He also avoids modern video-review systems, believing they create unnecessary "aggression and disappointment" over microscopic calls.
Foster says he never thought he would still be refereeing at 93, but he maintains his equipment carefully, keeping his kit washed and his boots clean for every match.
Frank Foster started refereeing in 1980. Today, he still officiates men's, women's and children's games around three times a week. (SWNS)
Frank Foster is pictured before he became a referee. (Frank Foster/SWNS)
Foster credits his longevity to wartime rations, adding that he avoided sweets. (SWNS)