Initiative to increase diversity of referees in football matches gains momentum | Referees

For Joel Mannix, witnessing Sam Allison become the Premier League's first black referee in 15 years when… He took charge of Sheffield United against Luton December was just the beginning. Mannix, a founding member of BAMREF (an organization that seeks to give voice and support to all officials from Black, Asian and mixed-descent communities), has spent the past three years helping others overcome the barriers he faced. “I knew I would never see the promised land as a referee,” he recalls. “I was getting bored of the same old negative words from observers. Sometimes when doors keep closing on you, it can be discouraging…”

But with Sunny Gill having made history in March As he becomes the first British Asian referee to officiate in the top flight of English football, it appears some progress has been made after more than a decade in the wilderness since Uriah Rennie retired in 2008. However, Mannix, who is preparing for the third BAMREF conference on Sunday at Anfield, believes there is still much work to be done to recruit the next generation of referees from diverse backgrounds.

“The important thing is to make the job attractive to people,” he says. “If refereeing is a middle-class profession and a boys’ club, we’re never going to attract people outside of that demographic.”

In particular, this conference of the year The event will feature talks and workshops from an all-female panel of referees, including WSL official Lauren Impey, and will focus on trying to increase the number of girls and women from diverse backgrounds taking up refereeing. Statistics compiled by BAMREF show that out of nearly 37,000 referees across the country, just 243 are women of black, Asian or mixed descent.

“If we can plant a seed in a child’s head at any event across the country, that will help increase the number of participants. BAMREF will then have to water that seed and help it grow,” says Vinny Wagjiani, a Kent police inspector who set up a youth mentoring programme with BAMREF two years ago. “We want to empower female referees. They know they will all face barriers, but we can help them overcome them. I am convinced that it will be a really enriching experience for everyone who attends.”

Mannix adds: “We need more women of colour across the sport. I know the WSL is trying to do its part, but it’s so important that there is representation. That way, the perception of what is possible changes in communities.”

Wagjiani works with children from disadvantaged backgrounds and has found that, despite some initial scepticism, many have thrived on the responsibility of becoming referees. “Training can really complement their education by giving them the confidence and leadership skills that many children are losing post-COVID,” he says. “It would be great to have them referee a match, keep fit and get paid for it. If you can do two matches on a Sunday then that’s about £80, which isn’t bad for a 14-year-old.

“A lot of young kids who play football think they're going to be the next Harry Kane and be a star in the Premier league But the chances of that happening are very slim. There’s a much greater chance that they’ll be in that same stadium running around the field as referees and this is making them see the opportunities that are out there, not to mention the six-figure salaries that top referees can earn. But also the skills and attributes they can learn along the way.”

Allison and Gill’s success appears to have helped boost the number of aspiring referees from a range of backgrounds – BAMREF estimates that 400 have been recruited since its last conference a year ago at Wembley. They have also created CORE X, a specific programme which aims to increase the chances of being selected for the FA’s centre of refereeing excellence, known as CORE.

“We have a talented group of referees and everything is there for them now,” Mannix says. “I’m sure any of these guys could go out on the field and officiate any game comfortably.”

However, he acknowledges that having just two referees on the select list of Professional Game Match Officials Limited referees is still a long way from BAMREF’s 30% target. “I hope there are more to come,” says Mannix. “I’ve always said if you can’t see it, you can’t be it. Kids need to have role models and seeing Sam and Sunny in charge of matches will only help. But they’ve only played a handful of games and there needs to be a lot more.

“If you look at the diversity of the England men’s squad at the Euros, the number of black and Asian referees in the Premier League should be much higher than it is at present.”