CO-founder of the Burnley Miners’ Sunday League and well-known referee Ray Ryland has died, aged 68 Tributes have been paid to Mr Ryland, who died at the Royal Blackburn Hospital.

The father of three and grandfather of five helped to found the league 50 years ago and served as secretary for more than 40 years.

He also helped to found the junior league in 1990 and was a member of the Burnley Referees’Society for half a century.

Born in Burnley, Mr Ryland and his family moved down to near Dagenham when he was six months old but he returned to the town in 1965, the year the league was set up.

His son John Ryland said: “The Sunday League and refereeing were incredibly important to him and that was all he did in his spare time.

“They were the most important things to him in the world, apart from his family.

“He loved to laugh and he was a real joker but when he would say that he would do something, he would, and it was a simple as that. He did not take any messing around when he was a referee as well.”

Mr Ryland married Valerie in the early 1970s and the couple lived in Hall Park Avenue in Burnley.

He worked as a purchaser at Lucas Electrical in the town for 32 years before taking up a role as a part-time driver for Brandon Park Motors in Bolton and then at Nissan in Burnley before retiring.

He refereed on Saturdays up through the local leagues and also refereed in junior and senior league on Sundays.

John Pilling, chairman of Burnley Miners’ Sunday League, knew Mr Ryland for around 50 years.

He said: “He will be missed by everybody who knew him and he was quite the character.

“He never lost that distinctive cockney accent and I did not believe him when he said that he was born in Burnley.

“The amount of time and effort he put into the Sunday League speaks for himself.

“Without him we would not have what we do today and there would not be a junior league without him either.

“He was very dedicated and his effort was second to none.”

The funeral will take place at St Mary Magdalene’s Church in Burnley on Tuesday from 11am.

It will be followed by a burial at Burnley Cemetery at noon.