London: Pro Ref rebrand replaced Professional Game Match Officials as English football’s professional refereeing body, the Football Association said Tuesday.
The new name, Professional Game Referees, will cover officials across the Premier League, English Football League, and Football Association competitions. It will also cover officials in the Women’s Super League.
The rebrand is backed by increased funding from the Premier League, the English Football League, the Football Association, and the Women’s Super League. This is under a three-year agreement.
TalkSPORT reported that Chief Operating Officer Danielle Every said the name reflected wider organisational changes. It also reflects a fully funded three-year plan.
The body will expand programmes to develop refereeing talent.
As part of the changes, top-tier referees who mainly handle Premier League matches and video assistant referee duties will be combined with officials from the EFL Championship. Moreover, they will be combined with officials from other EFL competitions.
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The unified group will oversee matches in both the Premier League and EFL Championship. The Premier League’s referee information page says Pro Ref now oversees Premier League, EFL, WSL and FA competitions.
