Hooper to ref Wolves v Norwich
- adamhigginsuk
- Aug 4, 2014
- 2 min read
Taking control: Hooper will hold the whistle as Wolves take on Norwich on the opening weekend of the Football League (Picture from Getty Images)
WOLVES' opening match of the new Championship season against Norwich City will be refereed by Simon Hooper.
The 31-year-old, from Wiltshire, will take charge of Sunday's clash between newly-promoted Wolves and the relegated Canaries at Molineux.
David Avent and Billy Smallwood will be the assistant referees while Mark Heywood will be the fourth official.
Hooper established himself as a regular in the second tier last season, officiating 17 Championship games - five of which came in front of the Sky Sports cameras.
He took charge of 35 matches in all competitions in 2013-14, handing out 126 yellows and six red cards while awarding 12 penalties in the process.
An IT service manager who failed to make the footballing grade at Swindon as a youngster, Hooper took up refereeing and was promoted to the Football League list as a linesman in 2006.
He oversaw the Conference League Cup final in 2008 at the end of his first campaign as a National List referee - his most high-profile appointment to date.
Hooper, who has ambitions to become a full-time Select Group official, will be starting his seventh season as a Football League referee.
Wolves were League One champions last term in Kenny Jackett's first season in charge while Norwich's three-year stay in the top-flight came to an end.
The 10 August match will be televised live on Sky Sports 1 and HD1 with kick-off at 16:00 BST.
Last updated: 4 August 2014 19:35pm
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