CLAUS Lundekvam admits his profession's top names must do their bit to arrest the alarming shortage of grass-roots referees.

Hampshire is by no means the only county FA which regularly struggles to appoint qualified officials to all their games every weekend.

Their unfortunately scenario is sadly replicated up and down the parks pitches of England.

The Barclays-backed Ref Drive' was at Southampton's Veracity sports ground, Merryoak, yesterday to highlight the ongoing problem.

And it wasn't just a shortage of football referees they wanted to spotlight - but the fact that cricket and rugby union are facing a less well-publicised but still worrying situation.

Lundekvam joined Premiership referee Chris Foy, the Rugby Football Union's elite referee Roy Maybank and the deputy chairman of the Association of Cricket Umpires and Scorers in meeting local schoolkids and trying to spread the message.

Local children from Ludlow Infants, Kanes Hill Primary, St Patricks and Grove Park took part in group coaching sessions.

The Saints skipper said: "It's fantastic to see Barclays doing something like this - it's all about increasing the awareness.

"It's good for the kids to find out what refereeing is all about."

Lundekvam added: "Referees are put under a lot of pressure by players and by the media, which is unfair.

"It's a very difficult job they do, I don't think I'd like to do it.

"Players at the top level must take some responsibility to make life easier for referees."

Full story, see today's Daily Echo