Irish League football referee Keith Kennedy has sadly passed away at the age of 33.
The Lisburn man began his career in referring in 2007, officiating his first Irish League match when he was 21 years old.

A FIFA-qualified referee, Mr Kennedy was well known in sporting circles around Ireland and had last taken charge of the Coleraine vs Ballymena Premiership fixture on August 16. He was also fourth official at Glenavon v Linfield on August 20.

Kennedy officiated the international friendly between the Republic of Ireland and Qatar at the Aviva Stadium in November 2021 and also took charge of the 2017 Irish Cup final between Linfield and Coleraine.

In a statement on Kennedy’s death on Wednesday evening, The Northern Irish Football League said: “The NI Football League are deeply saddened to learn of the sudden passing of referee Keith Kennedy.

Credit: BBC Sport

“A hugely experienced and respected match official in the league since 2007, Keith rose to the top of the game as a Fifa Referee, and also officiated many of the Irish League’s biggest matches and cup finals.”

NIFL Chief Executive Gerard Lawlor paid tribute to Kennedy, saying: “The news of Keith’s passing has shocked the league family today.

“Keith was not only a referee, but a friend to many within our clubs, he was one of the good guys.
He was always approachable and the first to make the call and hold his hands up if he got something wrong. He was a character, a straight talker and an individual with high morals, who lived his values and convictions, possibly often to his own detriment within the game. To his dear family, refereeing colleagues and friends within football, we offer our deepest condolences and our prayers at this very difficult time.”

There will be a minutes’ silence held at all NIFL matches this weekend in memory of Keith.