" Referee changes this season "

Ahead of the new season, there have been several changes to the referees that will take charge of Sky Bet Championship matches and Premier League matches. Full list of the referees in each of the top two groups below - those with FIFA next to their name are FIFA referees and therefore allowed to take charge of International games as well as UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League games.

VAR will continue to be used in the Premier League but not in the EFL, other than EFL Cup games at Premier League grounds and the final.

Four referees have been promoted to the Select Group 2 of referees, who mainly referee Sky Bet Championship matches. Sometimes a referee from the Select Group 1 or the National Group will take charge of Championship games. The National Group mainly referee games in Sky Bet League and Sky Bet League Two.

The two referees to be promoted to the Select Group 2 are Tom Brammall and John Busby.


Bramall has been a National Group Referee since 2018, taking the whistle across multiple competitions including the Sky Bet EFL and Papa John’s Trophy. He also took charge of Morecambe’s League Two Play-Off Semi-Final second leg against Tranmere Rovers last season.

Busby tallied 35 games as a referee during the 2020/21 campaign, including in the Carabao Cup and FA Cup, and also took charge at Wembley Stadium for the FA Vase Final between Binfield and Warrington Rylands in May.



Four referees have been promoted to the Select Group 1 of referees. These are the group of referees who mainly take charge of Premier League games.

The referees to be promoted to this group are Jarred Gillett, Michael Salisbury, Tony Harrington and John Brooks.


Gillett became part of the Select Group 2 referee’s list for the 2019/20 season. Previous to that he was one of the most high-profile officials in his native Australia, refereeing in the A-League from 2010 to 2019. He is in line to become the first Australian to referee in the Premier League.

Salisbury began his refereeing career in 2001 in Preston’s local leagues, thanks to the influence of his father Graham, also a referee. Graham retired on the final day of the 2020/21 season, with Michael his fourth official. Michael has been a referee in the EFL since 2016 and was part of the Select Group as an assistant referee.

Harrington spent four years as an EFL assistant referee and four years as a National League referee before promotion to the EFL in 2012. He has been a Select Group 2 referee since 2016 and has refereed nearly 200 EFL matches. Football is in the blood of Harrington. He is the grandson of former Hartlepool United player Tommy McGuigan.

Brooks first took up the whistle in 2004 and has been in Select Group 2 as a referee since 2018. He was in charge of the FA Vase Final at Wembley in the same year. Prior to refereeing in the EFL, Brooks was a Premier League assistant referee, having this role for the 2016 FA Cup Final.



SELECT GROUP 1 OF REFEREES - MAINLY PREMIER LEAGUE

Martin Atkinson

Stuart Attwell (FIFA)

Peter Bankes (FIFA)

John Brooks

David Coote (FIFA)

Mike Dean

Darren England

Kevin Friend

Jarred Gillett

Tony Harrington

Simon Hooper

Rob Jones

Chris Kavanagh (FIFA)

Andy Madley (FIFA)

Andre Marriner

Jon Moss

Michael Oliver (FIFA)

Craig Pawson (FIFA)

Michael Salisbury

Graham Scott

Anthony Taylor (FIFA)

Paul Tierney (FIFA)

SELECT GROUP 2 OF REFEREES - MAINLY SKY BET CHAMPIONSHIP

Darren Bond

Thomas Brammall

John Busby

Andy Davies

Matthew Donohue

Leith Doughty

Geoff Eltrincham

Oliver Langford

James Linington

Stephen Martin

Tim Robinson

Jeremy Simpson

Josh Smith

Keith Stroud

Gavin Ward

David Webb

Dean Whitestone

Andy Woolmer

Our list still has some old favourites like Keith Stroud. I thought Woolmer had retired as he is 55

Dont make a different whoever it is because all referees hate Cardiff.