OUTGOING Herefordshire FA CEO Jonny Walker said that his 12 months in the role has been an 'enjoyable learning curve'.

Walker handed in his resignation in the role at the weekend to take up a new job outside of football.

Speaking about his experience in the role, Walker said: "It has been a learning curve that's for sure but I have very much enjoyed it.

"A lot of things needed to be addressed and we are a long way through the process of doing that.

"The planning application for a 4G facility is a fork in the road and it is an exciting opportunity to drive that moving on.

"It will give the HFA the opportunity to centralise more and give them more flexibility for a football league during the week or central Sunday League venue."

One of the recent problems facing the HFA has been the shortage of matchday referees.

"There is no getting away from it, it has been a big problem," added Walker.

"We have put on a course free of charge. We are certainly doing our upmost as a board to support them.

"One thing is we need people to respect referees more and unfortunately this doesn't happen. If people want referees at fixtures they have to respect them."

The application process has been opened to find Walker's replacement and closes on January 31.

"The successful applicant will need to be passionate and committed to the development of football at a local level; be able to work under pressure, handle multiple priorities and meet deadlines," states the Hereforshire FA website.

"They will need to demonstrate exceptional customer service, be able to work as part of a team with excellent planning, communication and presentation skills."

The post is full-time (37.5 hours per week) and is based at Herefordshire FA’s County Ground Office at Widemarsh Common, Hereford.