Andrew Wilson Waddell became a qualified referee in 1965 and joined the Senior List of SFA referees in 1973. From 1989 to 1997 he represented Scotland on the FIFA list of international referees, including qualifying matches for the 1994 World Cup. He also served as an assistant referee at UEFA Euro 1988 and the 1989 FIFA U-16 World Championship. He retired from refereeing in 1999 and subsequently became secretary of Preston Athletic F.C., and campaigned for the club to be admitted to the Scottish Football League in 2008.