Trevor Porter: Guyana’s latest FIFA Assistant Referee

Jan 06, 2012 Sports

Aims to maintain high standard

Guyana has produced many top class Assistant Referees since FIFA introduced specialist Assistant Referees known as Linesmen after the 1990 World Cup.
The likes of Lawrence ‘Sparrow’ Griffith, Collin ‘BL’ Aaron and recently, the younger brigade of Dion ‘Mr. Cool’ Inniss and Venton Mars, Rollin Tappin and Abdulla Hamid readily come to mind; all of the above excelling in the CFU and CONCACAF Tournaments.
Now, the latest kid on the block, Trevor Andrew Porter intends to continue a rich legacy of excellent performances.
Porter was born on August 14, 1987 at Lot 13 Uitvlugt Front, Uitvlugt, West Coast Demerara to Trevor Porter (Sr.) and Monica Christiani and is the only child of this couple. He grew up in an extended family setting with his aunts, uncles and many cousins playing football every time there was spare time.

Trevor Porter collects his badge from President Donald Ramotar

Trevor commenced his playing career as a Central Defender with the Uitvlugt Warriors Football Club at the age of 10 at the Under-11 level and continued in similar vein all the way to the senior level but after sustaining a serious injury, he decided to pull the lid on his playing career to focus on his studies.
Some of his cousins who plied the same trade with him are Orville Bobb, a former Senior National Player, Ron Christiani who represented Guyana at the Under-20 level in Cuba and Trayon Bobb who is a Professional player with Caledonia AIA and also the youngest ‘Golden Jaguar’.
Trevor is at present residing with his grandmother Marjorie Porter (father’s mother) at 74 Uitvlugt Front. His mother, a Retired Police Officer is currently the owner of a bar which is situated at 13 Uitvlugt Front, every day on his way home he has to pass his mother’s house and stops to check her out and do any chores that is needed to be done at that time.
His father has been residing in Canada for approximately 21 years. His mother was an ardent sports woman playing cricket, football and circle tennis, just to name a few. She also has the distinction of teaching Orville Bobb how to dove (control) the ball with his feet, she still doves occasionally.
He attended the Uitvlugt Nursery, Stewartville Primary, Leonora Secondary and Government Industrial Training College (GITC).
At the CXC examinations, Trevor obtained passes in Integrated Science, Social Studies, Business and Office Procedure. At GITC, he studied to be a Fitter Machinist and was successful. Porter always wanted to become a Referee but he was under the impression that Referees were always the older guys who did the job hence he never attempted to get seriously involved.
His Grandfather was a carpenter and he always harboured ambitions of following in his {grand father} footsteps but suddenly had a change of heart and set out to become a Fitter Machinist hence him attending GITC.
He recalled that as a youngster when he was not building anything with his grandfather he would set up a bicycle, starting with the frame and at the end of the day he had a bicycle to ride.
On acquiring a job in 2008 at JANICO as Fitter Machinist, he met Venton Mars a FIFA Assistant Referee and during a discussion with Mars, the latter mentioned to him {Porter} that he was a Referee and he was taken by surprise that such a young person is actually a Referee, because he grew with the notion that when you finish playing football then you become a Referee.
In April 2008 at the Carifesta Sports Complex, the Guyana Football Referees Council (GFRC) conducted a Beginners Referees Course with Lawrence “Sparrow” Griffith being the tutor and out of a class of approximately fifteen persons, Trevor placed third.
His first exposure internationally was when he officiated in a match at the GCC Ground between GDF and a Club from French Guiana in the Inter Guiana’s Club Championship in 2010.
In the just concluded Kashif & Shanghai Tournament, Porter officiated in the third place playoff. He also officiated in the 2011 East Bank Football Association Division One Final and Amerindian Heritage Month Final. In 2009 & 2010 he did the opening games in the NAMILCO Cup Tournament.
Porter is single and has plans in the not too distant to tie the nuptial knot and raise a family. He attends the St Luke Presbyterian Church in Uitvlugt regularly and is very committed to family life and its values.
With the exclusion of Selwyn Blair and Joel Weeks, two FIFA Assistant Referees both of West Demerara from the FIFA list for 2012, Porter intends to keep the flag flying in a manner which will make the boys and fans from the West Side proud.