The make-up of referees in the Premier League has been a major talking point in recent years; as there have been no Black, Brown or mixed heritage officials taking charge of games. This season though, Sam Allison became the first Black referee to officiate in the Premier League in 15 years, while Sunny Gill recently became the first referee of South Asian heritage to take charge of a top flight football match in England. Now there are 23 other officials looking to be fast-tracked by a special programme created by the BAMRef Support Group, the PGMOL (Professional Game Match Officials Ltd) and England’s Football Association. Darren Lewis filed this report looking at how this initiative is helping change the face of the sport.The make-up of referees in the Premier League has been a major talking point in recent years; as there have been no Black, Brown or mixed heritage officials taking charge of games. This season though, Sam Allison became the first Black referee to officiate in the Premier League in 15 years, while Sunny Gill recently became the first referee of South Asian heritage to take charge of a top flight football match in England. Now there are 23 other officials looking to be fast-tracked by a special programme created by the BAMRef Support Group, the PGMOL (Professional Game Match Officials Ltd) and England’s Football Association. Darren Lewis filed this report looking at how this initiative is helping change the face of the sport.
