Breaking Barriers: FA Paves the Way for 1,000 New Referees from Diverse Backgrounds
The Football Association aims to enhance diversity in refereeing by recruiting and retaining 1,000 referees from underrepresented backgrounds over the next three years This landmark strategy is supported throughout football, with hopes for a more diverse elite pathway
The FA is set to announce tomorrow an innovative plan to attract and retain 1,000 referees from diverse backgrounds over the next three years. This groundbreaking strategy, exclusively revealed by We News, aims to revolutionize the grassroots football culture by actively engaging underrepresented communities and promoting their participation in football, including refereeing.
The Professional Game Match Officials Ltd (PGMOL), responsible for organizing referees and assistants at the elite level, fully supports the new FA initiative with the aim of increasing the representation of black and South Asian referees in professional games. Sam Allison, the highest-ranked black referee in the professional game, currently officiates in the EFL. In a collaboration, Sam Allison and Sunny Singh Gill, the highest-ranked referee from Britain's South Asian community, jointly presided over the Swindon Town vs Leyton Orient match on Easter Monday towards the end of the 2021/22 season.
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Jarnail Singh, Sunny's father, made history as the inaugural turbaned Sikh referee in English league football. He successfully officiated over 150 matches across various divisions from 2004 to 2010.
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In an exclusive interview with We News in April 2021, Howard Webb, the former World Cup final referee and current PGMOL chief refereeing officer, encouraged the Singh Gill brothers to set their sights on the Premier League.
"I think both Sunny and Bhups need to be aiming for the Premier League and then beyond that the FIFA international panel," Webb told We News.
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Not everyone will experience it, but there will be a few who will. So, why wouldn't it happen to these individuals?
They have already demonstrated their talent, and I have no doubt they will continue to work hard on their skills.
