MAIDSTONE'S Lee Venamore has become the area’s most senior football referee after passing exams allowing him to take charge of Southern League football -- all at age 24. Now Lee is aiming to join the elite of footballing referees in the premiership by 30.

Lee started his refereeing career in 1994, when an injury stopped him playing, and took control of his first adult match in the Maidstone & District League when he was just 16.

Since then he has risen rapidly through the ranks. He was refereeing in the Kent League at 19 and has now reached Level Three.

Orpington Premiership ref Steve Bennett is a Level One and Ashford’s Martin Yerby, a Premiership linesman, is Level Two.

Lee will now join the panel of referees running matches in the Doctor Martens and Rymans Leagues and he could also be asked to run matches in the northern leagues.

As well as facing gruelling assessments of his performances in selected matches, Lee underwent a gruelling barrage of questioning from Football Association experts at their headquarters in in London’s Soho Square.

Life is becoming hectic as Lee, who works for Cornhill Insurance, faces a daily drive to his office in Guildford as well as midweek and Saturday matches.

“Luckily my employers have been understanding, for the times when I need to leave work early to get to a match.”

Refereeing will remain an amateur occupation for Lee unless he can break through at least two more crucial stages.

The next step would be to join what is known as the Panel, which means refereeing the Conference League, the Football League and Premiership reserve matches.

Then would come the huge leap into refereeing Premiership and international football.

Lee says the teams he has refereed are responsible for his success as his promotion depends on the marks awarded by team managers. He was voted Referee of the Year by the Kent League this year.

“I’m quite a strict referee. I enforce the laws quite rigidly but I do try to develop a rapport with the players,” he said.