Premier League refereeing will improve with diversity, says Howard Webb | Football News

Refereeing boss Howard Webb admits there is “not enough diversity” in the elite refereeing pool, but that progress is being made and the standard of refereeing will improve as the pool of potential referees increases.

Last season saw major milestones in Premier League refereeing, with Rebecca Welch becoming the first woman to take charge of a match and Sunny Singh Gill becoming the first British South Asian, while Sam Allison became the second black referee to officiate a top-flight match.

According to the former referee, now head referee at PGMOL Webb, while it is important to emphasise individual successes, we must also be careful not to put pressure on some of the most watched individuals in football.

Speaking at the annual conference of BAMREF, the organisation that aims to increase the representation of black, Asian and mixed-race referees at all levels of the sport, Webb said having a collection of officials from diverse backgrounds would benefit the industry.

“It’s a little bit unfair that when you see Sunny, Sam or Rebecca go out on the pitch to take charge of the first or second Premier League game, they are in some way taking the hopes of an entire community onto the pitch,” Webb said. Sky Sports News.

“That’s not fair, because we all know that matches can go well or not so well for each individual referee.

“It’s a big moment when you take charge of your first Premier League game. It’s a nerve-wracking moment for you as an individual, your family and potentially even more so for some officials who come from historically underrepresented communities.

“The way they performed was truly amazing and a credit to their professionalism. I look forward to seeing more of the same this coming season.”

“First of all, I have to see them as referees. I have to see them as the quality officials that they are. They deserve those opportunities because of the performances that they deliver.”

The competition to reach the top of the refereeing profession is fierce.

Premier League matches are officiated by referees and assistant referees from the ‘Select Group’ and ‘Development Group’.

There are currently 21 referees in the highest select group, ‘Select Group 1’.

• Select Group 1 – Referee Premier League, Championship and occasionally League One and League Two matches. Some of Select Group 1 are FIFA referees and referee Champions League and Europa League matches.
• Select Group 2 – Officiate at Championship matches and occasionally League One and League Two matches. Select Group 2 may also act as fourth official at Premier League matches.
• Development Group – was established in 2022 as part of the Elite Referee Development Plan, which will allow PGMOL to place more talented professionals to support referees currently working at all elite levels.

For the coming season, one referee secured promotion to Select Group 1: Sam Barrott, who officiated 15 Premier League games last season.

The PGMOL sees this as an example of a more flexible process than in previous years, with the aim of rewarding high-performing referees.

“People are impatient and want to move quickly, but our job is to make sure they move at the right pace, which suits their experience, their capabilities and their own development,” Webb said.

“This coming season we will undoubtedly see more opportunities for people to see Premier League games in development matches, and that will also apply to some of the people we saw last season.

“We identify those who we believe are ready for those development opportunities in the next phase.

“We have seen over the last 12 months that talented referees are being given opportunities at the highest level of the Premier League.

“I’m really proud of the way they performed on that stage.

“They (BAMREF) rightly hold us responsible for ensuring that there are opportunities regardless of background.

“We also benefit from offering opportunities. There is talent for good referees everywhere.”

According to Arran Williams, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Manager at PGMOL, the opportunities to referee in the Premier League and the less structured path to the top are important signs of progress.

“If you go back to previous seasons, and you look at the structure of the refereeing process for men, it is very tedious, quite a long and intensive process. I have experienced that myself as a referee, for 13 years now,” said Williams.

“Ultimately, there are only so many places you can climb the pyramid, but what we have to do is make sure that the people we want are in the best place to step up and are ready to move up when that time comes.”

Founded in 2019 by referees Joel Mannix and Aji Ajibola, BAMREF continues to see their vision grow. Anfield this summer was preceded by conferences at Wembley and Villa Park in previous years

The FA’s Reflective and Representative campaign has seen the percentage of referees from a Black, Asian or mixed background in the national team fall from 5.5 per cent to 9.4 per cent.

Over 200 officials from all levels and locations came to Liverpool to hear the stories of Allison and Gill, who are still trying to achieve full-time Premier League refereeing status.

“We try to find the right balance between highlighting the success they have, which will inspire others, but also making sure we don’t add to the pressure that’s already there,” Webb said.

“It is therefore fundamental to have those conversations about how to approach this, both when making the appointment and in the days leading up to those appointments.”

Before Allison took charge of the Sheffield United v Luton match last season, Uriah Rennie was the only black referee in the Premier League.

It would be 15 years after Rennie retired that Allison would become the second. You can imagine that such a gap will never exist again.

“I’ve been to two BAMREF conferences, one at Wembley last season and one here at Anfield,” Webb said.

“The first feeling you get at these events is the passion for the game, the dedication. A dedication to refereeing the game and a real desire to learn, to improve, to develop and then with that the real hunger for opportunities to create.

“As a leader in the game, I understand my responsibility in that regard. I want to make sure that the dedication and commitment that these officials put into their game to make it better is rewarded when it translates into quality.”

The BAMREF conference provided referees from all backgrounds with the opportunity to share their experiences in midfield.

An all-female panel shared their stories and challenges in refereeing, a new mentoring initiative in partnership with the FA was announced and referees from all levels of the game were celebrated.

It was an event that made an impression on Webb.

“Our job is to identify talent and then support it through those development opportunities, and then we win as an organization, because I always look for quality,” Webb said.

“Our job is to continually expand the talent pool we have available within professional sport.

“So if we can make refereeing more attractive by breaking down some of the barriers and reaching out to communities, in areas where traditionally people wouldn’t think it would be for them; and we can look at the quality that exists in those communities, in some great role models, then I think that makes that job a little bit easier.

“But we are winning because we have access to a larger talent pool and I think we will see more and more people coming from traditionally underserved communities.

“They talk at this conference about ‘if you can see it, you can be it’, and I hear that a lot. It’s true that when I first started refereeing, most referees looked like me, came from my community, and so it seemed like something I could get into.

“I want it to be normal for everyone to participate, because then they can see that it is possible, regardless of your background.”