Alan Kelly

Kelly took up refereeing in 1994 and joined the Cork Branch of the Irish Soccer Referees Society (ISRS). He refereed in local leagues including the Munster Senior League. He joined the League of Ireland Referees Panel in 1999 while participating in the first FAI Referee's School of Excellence. Since then he has refereed at over 350 matches in the League of Ireland Premier Division . In 2000, he was selected to referee the League of Ireland Cup final between Derry City and Limerick City. He refereed the 2003 FAI Cup final when Longford Town beat St Patrick's Athletic in Lansdowne Road. He also refereed the 2009 FAI Cup Final between Sporting Fingal and Sligo Rovers at Tallaght Stadium. He refereed the 2011 Setanta Sports Cup final in Tallaght Stadium between Shamrock Rovers and Dundalk. Kelly has been ranked as Ireland's Number 1 referee for several years and was the inaugural winner of the Players Football Association of Ireland's (PFAI) Referee of the Year Award in 2006. He has gone on to win the award on five further occasions since. His final appearance as a referee in the League of Ireland was on 25 October 2013, when his former club Cork City FC defeated St Patricks Athletic 4-2 in Turners Cross. It was also the final game of the 2013 League of Ireland season. In 2016, Kelly was named Major League Soccer's Referee of the Year and was selected to referee the MLS Cup between Toronto FC and Seattle Sounders FC. The game ended 0–0 after extra time, with Seattle defeating…

Kelly was born in Cork, Ireland, and played schoolboy football for Avondale United and Ringmahon Rangers, before progressing to represent his boyhood club, Cork City FC. He is married with three children. Kelly comes from a family of referees with his grandfather Tim Kelly having officiated in the League of Ireland and his father Pat being a former FIFA referee who also refereed two FAI Cup Finals (1987 & 1996). His brother, Pat Kelly's other son is also a retired League of Ireland referee.