The Premier League and the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) have announced that referee Sam Allison will officiate an English top-flight match game.
Why is this significant? Well, Allison will become the first black referee in 15 years to take charge of a Premier League fixture. Uriah Rennie – who spent 11 years as a Premier League whistler – was the last black official to referee a Premier League game and that came in 2008.
The introduction of Allison to the Premier League’s refereeing contingent in 2023/24 marks a positive step forward for the division from an inclusivity perspective.
So who is referee Sam Allison? We provide you with a comprehensive profile below including details on his career as an official, his stats and more.
Who is football referee Sam Allison?
Born in England, 42-year-old Sam Allison is a professional football referee. He has now been assigned to officiate a Premier League game for the first time when he acts as the man in the middle for Sheffield United’s home clash with Luton Town on Boxing Day.
Allison played at the highest non-league level as a footballer after spells with Bournemouth, Bristol City, Swindon Town and Exeter City.
His attentions then turned to refereeing but juggled those duties with being a professional firefighter. But soon, Allison would focus all of his energy into full-time refereeing and joined the EFL roster in 2020.
There, he would become just the third black whistler in the league’s history. Allison won’t be involved in a Premier League for the first time come December 26, as he was appointed fourth official for Brighton’s home game with Chelsea in October 2022.
Allison has always had ambitions of reaching the top level of refereeing in English football. He told the EFL in March 2023: “I love football so much; it’s in my blood and it’s innate. I’d do anything to be involved in the game. Unfortunately, I didn’t reach the pinnacles as a football player but hopefully one day I can do it as a referee.”
What leagues has Sam Allison refereed in?
Sam Allison is a member of the PGMOL’s Select Group 2. As part of the group, Allison largely officiates EFL Championship matches and occasionally in League One and Two.
Allison rose up the leagues and eventually took charge of EFL Championship games come the 2023/24 campaign. He will be very new to the pressures of the Premier League but is still adapting to being an official in the second tier of English football.
Sam Allison referee stats
These are Sam Allison’s referee stats as per transfermarket. He has officiated in the EFL Championship, League One, League Two, FA Cup, EFL Cup, National League, Premier League 2, EFL Trophy and FA Youth Cup.
- Total games refereed: 234
- EFL Championship games refereed: 8
- EFL League One and Two games refereed: 86
- Yellow cards given: 842
- Second yellow cards given: 23
- Red cards given: 15
- Penalties given: 72
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