Every referee currently working in the Premier League

Highlights

• Premier League officials are part of the PGMOL, which oversees refereeing in the Premier League, EFL, and FA matches.
• This article goes through in detail every referee that is used by the Premier League.
• Rebecca Welch and Sam Allison both made history at the end of 2023 when being in control for the first time in the Premier League — and now they are part of the team.

Being a football referee in the modern age, with social media shining a greater spotlight on every action, is a tough, tough gig, so to officiate at the elite level, you’ve got to have pretty thick skin. Premier League officials are considered the best in the country and reaching the summit is a difficult order, with many having to work their way up from non-league. Once a ref is deemed adequate for the level, they’ll join what’s called the ‘Select Group 1’.

Tim Robinson and Darren Bond were both promoted to the group over the 2023 summer and the pair are now part of a list of 23 different referees who have taken to the field of play to oversee proceedings during the 2023/24 Premier League campaign. We’ve taken a look at the profile of each official and all entries will include information about their background, where they are from and how they got into the line of work.

PGMOL explained

The PGMOL stands for Professional Game Match Officials Limited, and they officiate all Premier League, English Football League (EFL) and Football Association (FA) matches. All three of the aforementioned organisations fund it. The PGMOL trains 177 referees and 117 assistant referees and Managing Director Mike Riley oversees the programme alongside a team of managers and coaches.

PGMOL chief Howard Webb is perhaps the most recognisable face of the company, as he often runs through the various refereeing decisions from the weekend on Sky Sports’ Mic’d Up programme with former footballer Michael Owen. The segment has gained a great deal of publicity since it launched, with viewers fascinated by the process of making a call and the communication between VAR and the on-field referee.

Sam Allison

Sam Allison started as a player for Swindon’s School of Excellence before going on to spend much of his career playing semi-professionally at Chippenham Town. He then moved into refereeing to stay in the game for longer and, alongside his role on the pitch, he worked for Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service, where he eventually became a station manager. After 12 years of refereeing throughout the leagues, the 42-year-old worked at the summit of English football in December 2023, taking charge of his first Premier League game between Sheffield United and Luton Town on Boxing Day. Allison became the first black referee in the top-flight in 15 years and only the second ever.

“I don’t hide that I want to reach the top,” Allison told the EFL website in 2023. “I want to be a role model within my community and show representation as a Black man in football and being a referee at the same time.”

Rebecca Welch

Rebecca Welch played football from her childhood but didn’t start officiating until she was 27, alongside her role in the NHS. “I played football and didn’t even think about refereeing until one of my really good friends, who is a referee, refereed us,” she said speaking to the Independent. “I spent the whole game telling her how to do her job! Her response was, ‘If you think it’s that easy, give it a go’. That’s how it happened and 10 years later, here I am.”

After going full-time in 2019, four years later, Welch became the first female to referee in the Premier League after being appointed to officiate the match between Fulham and Burnley on 23rd December 2023. The 40-year-old already had the honour of becoming the first female to referee an EFL fixture, having marshalled the proceedings of Harrogate Town’s clash against Port Vale in April 2021.

Bobby Madley

Bobby Madley started out as a player for Leeds United and Barnsley’s academies but started to fall out of love with the game and had a recurring injury which led to his decision to quit at the age of 16. Madley began refereeing in the Wakefield and District League in 2001 before advancing to the professional game in 2010, overseeing EFL matches. 2013 was the year he made his Premier League debut, marshalling the proceedings between Southampton and West Bromwich Albion and then some years later, he took the reins of the 2021 League Two play-off final, as Morecambe defeated Newport County. The 38-year-old is the younger brother of Andy Madley, a fellow Premier League official.

Tony Harrington

Before becoming a full-time referee, Tony Harrington worked as a PE teacher, though, he started officiating at the age of 14 with Teesside Junior Football Alliance following the completion of a refereeing course at school as part of the Duke of Edinburgh award. Initially, the Cleveland-born ref worked as an assistant in the EFL whilst taking the reins of National League games. Harrington was appointed to the EFL Referees List in 2012/13 and worked his way to the summit of the English pyramid in 2021, marshalling the proceedings of a Premier League clash between Brighton and Wolves. He is the grandson of Hartlepool legend Tommy McGuigan.

Darren Bond

Darren Bond began officiating at the age of 15 in the Wigan Youth League and has established himself as a Championship veteran during his career, taking charge of 217 games in the second tier. Bond worked as an assistant in the Premier League for a year before making his top-flight debut as a referee in January 2023, overseeing Leicester City’s 1-0 home defeat to Fulham. The Lancashire-born official made one outing during the 2023/24 Premier League campaign, marshalling the proceedings between Fulham and Brentford, a game which saw the visiting Bees 3-0 victors. Most of his work has come in the Championship.

Darren England

Interestingly, Darren England started as a coach at Barnsley and worked with Manchester City and England defender John Stones. He began officiating in the EFL in 2015 before progressing to the Championship a couple of years later, stewarding QPR’s 2-1 victory against Cardiff City. As England’s reputation grew, PGMOL awarded the Doncaster native his first Premier League appearance during the 2019/20 season and since then, he’s taken the reins of 47 top-flight fixtures. England was nominated as a referee for the 2022 FIFA List of International Match Officials, which evinces the high regard he holds across the continent and beyond.

Graham Scott

In his youth, Graham Scott was a goalkeeper for non-league outfit Abingdon Town, but a persistent back problem forced him to retire from competitive football at the age of 27. Scott turned to refereeing in 1997 without any particular ambition of advancing to the elite level. However, he started to receive positive feedback from players, and it was then the Oxfordshire-born ref started to take the profession more seriously.

“I just expected to referee youth and boys league matches when I started out,” Scott said in 2015. “It was suggested to me that I give it a go in men’s football and I did just that. After my first game, the Coleshill captain came up to me in the bar and found out it was my first match. He was surprised, and said: ‘I would never have known, I gave you ten out of ten’. That gave me a real confidence boost straight away. I have only ever looked one step ahead of where I was – I did not let myself think of anything other than the next level.”

Josh Smith

Josh Smith started his officiating career in 2006, at age 14, in the Peterborough and District Junior Alliance League, following the same profession as his father and grandfather, who had refereed football and rugby league. Smith completed three years on the EFL Assistant Referee list before opting to pursue a career as a central figure, becoming a referee in the National League and then the EFL. The young ref made his Premier League debut in May 2023, taking the reins of a 2-2 draw between Londoners Fulham and Crystal Palace and has made three outings during the top-flight’s 2023/24 campaign.

Thomas Bramall

Thomas Bramall, a former Rotherham PE teacher, made his top-flight debut at the age of 32 after recovering from a serious anterior cruciate ligament injury that he sustained three years prior. The Sheffield native received glowing praise from Brentford boss Thomas Frank in October 2022 after opting not to award Bournemouth a penalty, despite being recommended to pitchside monitor. “He is a young ref — I don’t know how many games he’s refereed in the Premier League,” the Bees head coach said.” He showed character and a calm head in a very stressful moment.” Bramall has officiated twice in Japan’s top-flight and once in their cup competition.

David Coote

David Coote began his career as a referee at the age of 16 and worked his way through the leagues before eventually becoming an assistant referee in the EFL. In 2010, the Nottinghamshire-born official was promoted to the list of Football League referees and four years later, he took the reins of a League One play-off final at Wembley between Leyton Orient and Rotherham United. Another Wembley outing ensued some years later, as he oversaw the League Cup final action between Manchester United and Newcastle United in February 2023, which further displayed his high reputation among PGMOL chiefs. Coote is approaching a century of PL appearances.

Samuel Barrott

Samuel Barrott started as a player for Halifax Town’s youth teams but moved into refereeing at the age of 15 after sustaining a long-term injury. The West Riding-based official began refereeing in the EFL in 2020 and was awarded his Premier League debut in October 2023, taking the reins of the proceedings between Fulham and Sheffield United. Quite remarkably, Barrott was younger than both of the team’s captains – Fulham’s Tim Ream and the Blades’ Chris Basham. The young ref has impressed PGMOL chiefs as he continues to officiate in the top flight, alongside Championship fixtures. He has overseen two international friendlies during his career.

Michael Salisbury

Michael Salisbury left his role as a PE teacher to follow in the footsteps of his father, Graham, who refereed 588 Football League games. He quickly impressed in the lower leagues and was promoted to the Premier League in 2021. Speaking to the Lancashire Post, Salisbury said: “I was hopeful rather than expecting to get the phone call, but it was great to hear those words when the call came at lunchtime. It’s going to be new getting to grips with VAR, but I’m just pleased to get the opportunity. Dad was chuffed to bits for me, especially as he set me off on this path all those years ago.”

The former teacher made his debut later that year in November to become only the second Preston-born referee to officiate in the top flight after family friend Neil Swarbrick. Two years on, Salisbury has become an established Premier League official.

Jarred Gillett

Australian referee Jarred Gillett became the first overseas official to officiate a Premier League match when he made his debut in September 2021, taking control of the proceedings between Watford and Newcastle United at Vicarage Road. Before that, Gillett had been working in Australia, Japan, India and Saudi Arabia. In 2019, the 37-year-old went viral on YouTube as Fox Sports Australia posted a video of his final A-League match, in which he was Mic’d up. Gillett received glowing praise for his performance and the commentator on the broadcast predicted that he’d go on to become a Premier League ref.

Chris Kavanagh

Chris Kavanagh started his refereeing career at age 13 in 1998 and became a National League ref in 2012. Five years on, the promising young referee took to the field of a Premier League match for the first time, overseeing Southampton’s 1-0 win at the Hawthorns. In 2019, Manchester-born Kavanagh was added to FIFA’s list of international referees, further evincing his rapid rise to the elite level. Perhaps the most high-profile game of his career was the 2021 Championship play-off final between Brentford and Swansea, with the former claiming glory on that afternoon, gaining promotion to the Premier League for the first time in their history.

Craig Pawson

Craig Pawson has been a familiar face of the Premier League for over a decade now, debuting in March 2013, taking the reins of a fixture between Swansea and Newcastle United. The 44-year-old has officiated many showpiece events over the last few years, perhaps most notably the 2022 FA Cup final at Wembley, as Liverpool defeated Chelsea via a penalty shootout. Pawson is one of seven English referees to be FIFA-listed and has officiated in the Europa League during the 2023/24 campaign. Having made his top-flight debut in March 2013, he is one of the longest-serving refs in the division.

Stuart Attwell

Stuart Attwell, a Staffordshire University graduate, became the youngest referee to ever officiate in the Premier League when he took charge of Blackburn Rovers’ 1-1 home draw against Hull City in August 2008, aged 25. Attwell’s rapid rise to the summit was fueled by his lifelong ambition to become a referee, according to his father, as he worked his way up through local games to non-league and then to the Football League in 2007. The Premier League regular oversaw the 2022 League Cup and 2023 Community Shield final at Wembley, so he’s viewed as a leading official by PGMOL chiefs.

Paul Tierney

Paul Tierney has been a top-flight referee for over nine years and is considered one of the best in the country, evidenced by the array of high-profile games in his portfolio. The 42-year-old has taken the reins of two domestic cup finals, a Championship play-off final and a Community Shield final at Wembley’s 90,000-seater stadium. Tierney grew up in Belfast but moved to Wigan when he was 11 and is believed to support the League One outfit. He became the first referee to officiate 20 Premier League games during the 2022/23 season and has refereed in Europe in the past.

John Brooks

John Brooks has officiated just shy of 100 Championship fixtures, having made his EFL debut in August 2016, stewarding a League Two clash between Blackpool and Exeter City. He first took charge of a Premier League encounter in December 2021, overseeing the proceedings between Wolves and Burnley – which ended in a goalless draw. The Leicestershire-born official became a FIFA referee in 2023 and has taken the reins of Europa Conference qualifiers, a Europa League game and an international friendly during the 2023/24 campaign. Interestingly, Brooks has a USL Championship (USA second tier) game on his CV, dating back to May 2015.

Tim Robinson

Tim Robinson started as a PE teacher before taking up refereeing. The West Sussex official worked his way through the leagues to the summit of English football in December 2019, marshalling the action between Burnley and Newcastle United. Robinson has racked up 13 Premier League outings throughout his career, with 10 of those coming during the 2023/24 season. Most of his officiating has come in the Championship, taking control of 234 fixtures. Perhaps his most high-profile game was the 2023 League One play-off final between Barnsley and Sheffield Wednesday, which saw the Owls gain promotion to the Championship, winning 1-0 in extra time thanks to a stoppage-time winner from Josh Windass.

Peter Bankes

Peter Bankes started refereeing in 1996 at the age of 14 and in 2014, he was appointed to the EFL’s Referee List. Bankes has become somewhat of a Championship veteran, having officiated 138 fixtures in the division before making his first top-flight outing in August 2019, overseeing Leicester City’s 3-1 win against Bournemouth at the King Power stadium. The Merseysider has gone on to referee a total of 70 Premier League matches and four qualifying matches in the Europa Conference League. Bankes, who is the chairman of the Referees’ Association in Bootle, has also gained valuable experience in the National League, taking charge of 83 matches.

Andrew Madley

Andrew Madley is the older brother of the aforementioned Bobby and he, too, started as a player, though, for Huddersfield Town’s School of Excellence. Just like his brother, Madley began to fall out of love with football and decided to take up a refereeing course with Bobby. “Bobby and I both played at reasonable levels. He played at Leeds and Barnsley in their academies, and I was in Huddersfield’s school of excellence,” he told the Yorkshire Post in 2020.

“We just got to the stage where we were both falling out of love with football. Bobby had an injury that was recurring, so he was ready to pack it in at the age of 16. But he rang me up one night asking if I fancied doing a refereeing course and I put the phone down on him. I thought about it and then asked him what it involved, and it was only £15, and one night a week for a few hours. I started to pick up all these things. I knew nothing about football looking back. The first two years of refereeing, I hated it. I used to come home and throw my bag in the corner and say I am not doing that again.”

Years on, Madley is considered one of the best officials in the top flight and became a member of the FIFA international list in 2020. He officiated Champions League and Europa League qualifiers during the 2023/24 campaign and also an international friendly between South Korea and Saudi Arabia. The Huddersfield-born ref has taken charge of two League One play-off finals throughout his career.

Simon Hooper

Simon Hooper was released by Swindon Town at the age of 16 and became an IT service manager before changing careers to become a referee. The Wiltshire-born official rose through the leagues before making his first Premier League outing in August 2015, overseeing Norwich City’s 3-1 defeat to Crystal Palace at Carrow Road. Hooper, who is believed to be a Swindon fan, has refereed 10 Premier League matches during the 2023/24 season; only five refs have officiated more. He has refereed at Wembley twice throughout his career, overseeing two League One play-off finals, and he has also officiated one international friendly.

Robert Jones

Robert Jones has had a pretty rapid rise to the top-flight, having only joined the Football League in 2016. Before this, the Merseyside native officiated in the Women’s Super League and the National League. Jones was handed his Premier League debut in December 2019, marshalling the action between Brighton and Sheffield United, a game which the visiting Blades won 1-0. Years later, Jones is an established top-flight official and one of the most active across the division during the 2023/24 season, with only two refs having overseen more matches than him. He has also taken the reins of fixtures in Europe and an international friendly.

Michael Oliver

Michael Oliver has been a mainstay of the Premier League for years now and is widely regarded as one of the best referees in the country. Born in Ashington, a town not far from Newcastle, Oliver was introduced to refereeing by his father Clive, who was a former official himself. Aged 14, he gained his qualifications and began to move up the leagues before making his first Premier League outing in August 2010, overseeing the action between Birmingham City and Blackburn Rovers. In doing so, Oliver became the youngest referee to officiate a top-flight game, aged 25.

The FIFA-listed ref has a plethora of high-profile matches on his CV, including a UEFA Super Cup final, an FA Cup final and a League Cup final. The 38-year-old has officiated 30 Champions League games throughout his career and appeared three times at the 2022 World Cup. Only one ref has overseen more top-flight fixtures throughout the 2023/24 campaign than Oliver.

Anthony Taylor

Anthony Taylor was a prison officer at a Category A jail before switching career paths to become a referee. “There are skills which are interchangeable between working in the prison service and refereeing,” Taylor said speaking before the 2017 FA Cup final. “It’s not about red and yellow cards, it’s about stopping things happening as much as you can. Trying to be proactive. Working in a prison meant I needed a lot of communication and management qualities to deal with daily situations.”

Taylor began refereeing in the Football League in 2006 whilst still working 40-hour shifts at Strangeways, a Manchester prison. He made his Premier League debut in February 2010 and has now amassed a whopping 356 appearances in the top-flight. The FIFA-listed referee has overseen several finals and has officiated at the European Championships and the World Cup. Taylor has been the most active top-flight ref during the 2023/24 season.

GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic
: Anthony Taylor made his Premier League debut as a referee during the 2009/10 season, where he only took charge of two games and handed out five yellow cards.

Referee information taken from TransferMarkt.