David Coldrick
David Coldrick is a Gaelic football referee from County Meath. From the Blackhall Gaels club, he has refereed four All-Ireland SFC finals.
Seán Moran, writing in The Irish Times in 2015, described Coldrick as "one of the least excitable referees on the inter-county scene. What might have been seen as diffidence earlier in his career has evolved into a patient and punctiliously polite demeanour, like a schoolteacher with a difficult class".[1]
Career[]
Coldrick began refereeing in 1994.[2] He left college in 1997 and joined Irish Life where he is Executive Manager of the Actuarial Reporting team.[3]
Coldrick refereed the 2007 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final between Cork and Kerry at Croke Park. He was the fourth Meathman to referee an All-Ireland final, following Dick Blake (1894, Dublin v Cork, drawn game and replay), Peter McDermott (1953, Kerry v Armagh & 1956, Galway v Cork) and Paddy Kavanagh (1985, Dublin v Kerry).[2] Coldrick later became part of a select group to referee more than one All-Ireland final when he took charge of the 2010 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final between Cork and Down.[4][5]
Coldrick was named as the referee for the 2015 All-Ireland Senior Football Final between Dublin and Kerry on 8 September.[6] That game (and Coldrick) featured in the documentary All Ireland Day.[1]
In December 2020, he was named as referee for the 2020 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final between Dublin and Mayo.[7]
Coldrick has also refereed during the 2005 and 2006 International Rules Series. Among the other important football matches he has refereed are the 2005 Munster senior final, the 2004 Meath senior final and 2007 Meath senior final replay.[2]
At a referee conference in January 2015, he described missing the chance to show Down player a black card in the 2014 Ulster Senior Football Championship and not awarding a penalty to Dublin when Cork players handled the ball on the ground during the 2013 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship quarter-final as two of the lowest points of his career at that stage. He also said the following about the Ulster Senior Football Championship: "Ulster makes or breaks you. It can be a graveyard. The games are different. There is an extra dimension and intensity, and you must be at your best. If you aren't prepared physically and mentally, the chances are you will be caught out. But when you are appointed for your first Ulster championship match, that's making progress".[8]
References[]
- ^ a b Moran, Seán (11 November 2015). "'All-Ireland Day' a memorable portrait of the year's highlight". The Irish Times.
- ^ a b c "Meath's All-Ireland winner". Hogan Stand. 30 November 2007. Archived from the original on 15 March 2015. Retrieved 30 November 2007.
- ^ "David Coldrick". Archived from the original on 15 March 2015.
- ^ Breheny, Martin (2 September 2010). "Coldrick to join elite group of referees after landing final". Irish Independent. Retrieved 2 September 2010.
- ^ "Coldrick to referee All-Ireland final". RTÉ Sport. 1 September 2010. Archived from the original on 15 March 2015. Retrieved 1 September 2010.
- ^ "Coldrick to referee All-Ireland football final". Hogan Stand. 8 September 2015. Retrieved 9 September 2015.
- ^ "Coldrick chosen to referee All-Ireland SFC final". Hogan Stand. 9 December 2020. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
- ^ "Coldrick: I should have given Conor Maginn the black card". Independent.ie. 11 January 2015.
- Living people
- All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final referees
- Blackhall Gaels Gaelic footballers
- Gaelic football referees
- GAA people from County Meath