The Club has had several players who have gone on to become referees in Maccabi football, some of whom have been appointed to Cup Finals and other notable achievements over the years.
WHAT IS THE connection between Temple Fortune Football Club and the Maccabi (Southern) Football League Harvey Hoffman Memorial Trophy? Well, the answer is that no less than three ex-TFFC players have won this prestigious piece of silverware which is presented at the end of each season.

So what is the Harvey Hoffman Memorial Trophy when it's at home? It's presented to the M(S)FL Referee of the Year, who is selected annually based on marks, attitude and service to Maccabi football. Arguably of more importance than being appointed to referee the League's Cyril Anekstein Cup, the Harvey Hoffman Memorial Trophy is the Maccabi referee's top accolade. The TFFC trio to have received the HHMT are Nigel Lord, Nigel Kyte and John Nitka.

NIGEL LORD played in goal for Temple Fortune's First Team in the late eighties but had to give up due to an injured knee. He then turned to refereeing and quickly progressed, winning the inaugural Referee of the Year award in 1991 before retaining the Trophy the very next season. Mission accomplished, Lord then left the M(S)FL and hasn't refereed for the League since.

NIGEL KYTE was the second TFFC-associated ex-player to receive the Referee of the Year accolade, his award achieved at the end of the 1998/99 season. A co-founder of the Club, he played 35 games mostly during Temple Fortune's early pre-league days, scoring 24 goals. Nigel has had a very high average refereeing mark for a few years in succession now. A year after capturing the top Referees prize, he came second with an average of 8.4 out of ten, followed by a meritable third with further high averages in the eights for the next two seasons. Not bad for consistency!

Which brings us nicely onto the Referee of the Year for season 1999/00, JOHN NITKA. John made well over a hundred appearances for Temple Fortune between 1979 and 1984 before rejoining the Club for a second spell around 1988. He scored 95 goals in total. John returned to Temple Fortune for a third time to play for the Masters League side during season 2000/01.

Also rather impressive is the fact that all three have refereed the Cyril Anekstein Cup Final which is the M(S)FL's premier knock-out competition. Other ex-Temple Fortune players who have become qualified referees include former goalkeeper Richard Carlowe, winger Steve Conway and Michael Cudner, the once prolific striker for Athletico Neasden who also had a spell with TFFC. And more recently, Steve Feiger, Temple Fortune's all-time leading goalscorer, took up refereeing in 2011 and refereed the Maccabi Masters Football League (MMFL) Henry Swerner Trophy Final at the end of his first season. For good measure, he also collected the MMFL Referee of the Year!

With refereeing success obviously running high at the Temple Fortune Football Club, who will be the next ex-player to follow in the footsteps of the Club's illustrious whistle-blowing ex-players?

Below is a list of major Maccabi refereeing honours achieved by ex-TFFC players. These exclude appointments as assistant referee in any Cup Final.

Ex-Fortune goalkeeper Nigel Lord, MSFL Referee of the Year twice


Nigel Kyte, holding the Harvey Hoffman Memorial Trophy in June 1992


John Nitka, the third ex-TFFC player to collect the top MSFL referee's prize

THE MACCABI REFEREES' CHALLENGE SHIELD
SEASON 1983/84
Nigel Kyte
MSFL Minor Invitation Cup Final
SEASON 1984/85
Nigel Kyte
MSFL Cyril Anekstein Cup Final
SEASON 1990/91
Nigel Lord
Harvey Hoffman Memorial Cup (MSFL Referee of the Year)
SEASON 1991/92
Nigel Lord
MSFL Cyril Anekstein Cup Final
SEASON 1991/92
Nigel Lord
Harvey Hoffman Memorial Cup (MSFL Referee of the Year)
SEASON 1995/96
John Nitka
MSFL Cyril Anekstein Cup Final
SEASON 1998/98
Nigel Kyte
Harvey Hoffman Memorial Cup (MSFL Referee of the Year)
SEASON 1999/00
John Nitka
Harvey Hoffman Memorial Cup (MSFL Referee of the Year)
SEASON 2005/06
Nigel Kyte
MMFL Henry Swerner Trophy Final
SEASON 2006/07
Nigel Kyte
Maccabi Masters Football League Referee of the Year
SEASON 2010/11
Nigel Kyte
MMFL Henry Swerner Trophy Final
SEASON 2010/11
Nigel Kyte
Maccabi Masters Football League Referee of the Year
SEASON 2011/12
Steven Feiger
MMFL Henry Swerner Trophy Final
SEASON 2011/12
Steven Feiger
Maccabi Masters Football League Referee of the Year
SEASON 2011/12
Nigel Kyte
MMFL Nathan Horowitz Division Two Cup Final