Hester, who is a naval lieutenant commander, is a top New Zealand referee with Fifa qualifications that take him all over the world. He has officiated at Olympic level and is on the short list for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
"It's very pleasing that Mike is visiting us. He will be running a refereeing coaching course on Sunday as well as the [today's] match," newly-appointed FS regional refereeing development officer Chris Boyd said.
"Mike is a good example of where a refereeing career can take folk these days. From the Olympics in Beijing to exotic locations such as the Canary Islands, Mike is an excellent role model for young aspiring referees.
"Otago's Fifa linesman Brent Best has also collected many frequent flyer points in his career and, to show what women can achieve, Dunedin-based Linda Ritchie's Fifa qualifications have also taken her all over the Pacific.
"We are always looking for new referees, and the present batch of younger aspiring officials can look forward to similar interesting careers," Boyd said.
At Tahuna Park, Hester should have no problem controlling the Mosgiel and Northern match although both sides will be looking to hit their straps early in preparation for the Southern Premier League which starts next month.
The new Northern coaching duo of David Martin-Chambers and John Wilkinson has a huge amount of experience and will aim to improve on Northern's seventh-place finish in the SPL last season.
Mosgiel finished fourth under coach Mike McGarry and, with substantially the same squad as last year, will want to again earn a place in the top four.
Since all pre-season matches will be played at Tahuna, Dunedin Technical and University will also start at 2.45 pm. The earlier 12.45 pm matches will feature Roslyn-Wakari and Grants Braes and, on Tahuna No 1, will be the clash between Caversham and Green Island.
Despite considering a new coaching role in Canterbury, Steve Fleming is still with Caversham and his side will provide stiff opposition for Green Island under new coach Warren Robinson.
Roslyn coach Terry Boylan was left scratching his head after drawing 6-6 last week against Timaru's West End club, but is expecting improved performances from several young triallists in the match with Alan Laidlers Braes side.
• Inter Milan manager Jose Mourinho is under investigation for allegedly punching a fan after his team's Champions League loss to Manchester United, AP reports.
Inter denied Mourinho was involved in any altercation.
Manchester Police said yesterday they were investigating a 46-year-old man in connection with a "very minor assault" at Old Trafford on Thursday.
A police official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with policy of not publicly naming suspects, confirmed the man under investigation was the 46-year-old Portuguese coach.
The alleged incident took place near the Inter team bus as the team was leaving the stadium. "The investigation is at a very early stage and nobody has been arrested so far," the police statement said.
Manchester United confirmed an incident had taken place and that police were involved.
Mourinho and the Inter team returned to Milan yesterday. Inter said Mourinho was not involved in any altercation.
