Sam Allison will break a 15-year-old Premier League barrier when he referees Sheffield United versus Luton Town on 26 December. Allison was promoted to the Football League in 2020, and made his Championship debut earlier this year. His appointment as the first black referee in the Premier League since Uriah Rennie raises the question as to why more black, Asian or mixed heritage referees have not come through the ranks over the past decade and a half.
Rennie, from Sheffield, officiated at more than 300 top-flight matches from 1997 to 2008, but his appointment failed to encourage young black referees to come through the pyramid. For Ian Wright, the Match of the Day pundit who played for Arsenal during Rennie’s Premier League tenure, Allison’s fixture highlights the need for increased diversity among all football officials.
In response, the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) has targeted an increase of 1,000 women referees, and 1,000 referees who are black or Asian across all levels of football within three years. The appointment of Allison is a positive step in achieving this target, but some in the game think that more needs to be done to encourage black and Asian officials to make it to the top level.
The appointment is particularly poignant for semi-professional referee, Ashley Hickson-Lovence, who said that he feels “a bit of sadness” that it has taken so long for a black referee to make it to the top level in English football. The 42-year-old Allison’s appearance is a milestone moment, and many are hoping that it will encourage more young black officials to take up refereeing
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