Mike Dean, one of the best known referees in the Premier League era, will be centre stage in Bishop’s Cleeve next month.

The 57-year-old hung up his whistle in 2022 but remains a familiar face in and around the game through his role as a well-respected television pundit.

Dean will be appearing at Church Road Coffee in Bishop’s Cleeve on Thursday 7th May (7pm) when he will share stories from his 22 years as a Premier League referee as well as answering questions from those in the audience.

“We’re buzzing,” said Johnny Rea, who runs Church Road Coffee with his wife Caroline. “An evening with Mike Dean is something a bit different.

“Have you ever sat watching a game and thought, ‘What was the ref seeing there?’, or ‘Is VAR actually helping?’, or ‘Do they know they’ve got it wrong?’.

“Mike Dean will tell it how it is. It will be raw, a proper behind-the-scenes look at the game.”

Dean will be on a panel with former Premier League assistant referee Derek Eaton, who ran the line for the final time last year at the age of 61.

Eaton lives in Tewkesbury and Rea said: “I’ve recently qualified as a run coach and I’m Del’s running coach.

“I got to know him because he came to one of our Coffee Club runs on a Sunday morning.”

Eaton has just completed the Tewkesbury Half Marathon in one hour, 30 minutes, 12 seconds, and Rea, who competed the Paris Marathon in two hours, 56 minutes on Sunday, continued: “He’s 62 and he’s an absolute machine for his age.

“He took up running only after he retired as an assistant referee. If he can get two minutes off his half marathon time he’ll get an England vest for age category.”

Dean, who is from Wirral in the north west, isn’t a runner but he is a keen golfer, a sport he plays with Eaton.

The two know each other well and Rea, who was a referee as a teenager, is looking forward to working with both of them next month.

“I will be on the panel with them,” he said. “ I will interview them and then we’ll throw it open to the floor for any questions.”

And after his evening in Bishop's Cleeve, Dean will head to the Sky Sports studios for his regular Saturday afternoon 'Ref Watch' slot where he will work alongside the likes of Paul Merson and Tim Sherwood.