It is a far cry from the World Cup.
But Tory MP for Moray Douglas Ross was out running the line in Dingwall this week for a Highland derby football match in aid of a cancer support charity.
Ross County ran out 3-2 winners against rivals Inverness Caley Thistle at the game at Dingwall’s Global Energy Stadium on Wednesday night.
Mr Ross announced at the end of October he would no longer accept refereeing jobs while the House of Commons was sitting, after he came under fire for missing a Commons vote on Universal Credit shortly beforehand.
His decision means he can no longer work as one of Scotland’s representatives at next summer’s world cup in Russia, as this would interfere with parliamentary sittings.
Last night Mr Ross said: “For me, a football match is enjoyable to take part in and on Wednesday night it was for a good cause and I was happy to help out.
“It was a cold November evening and it was good to see so many people supporting Maggie’s and good to get the Highland derby.
“We are very lucky in this part of the country that there is a real strong community feeling and I think that works well at events like last night, and hopefully other clubs can adopt a similar approach and raise much needed funds.”
At the time of the Commons vote on welfare last month, the Conservative politician had instead been refereeing a champions league game between Barcelona and Olympiacos at the Nou Camp.
But Mr Ross, who has been a referee for 15 years, defended his decision by saying he was paired with an opposition member who would also skip the vote.