Premier League Select Group One referees had a reported average annual salary of £180,000 in BBC Sport’s 2025 report. Match fees are paid on top, and some officials may earn additional income from bonuses or European and international appointments, so £180,000 is not a guaranteed individual salary or a complete all-in total.
What is the reported Premier League referee salary?
BBC Sport reported an average annual salary of £180,000 for Premier League Select Group One referees in an article first published on 28 January 2025 and updated on 7 April 2025. The report said there were 21 full-time referees in the group at that time. BBC Sport’s report is the source for that figure.
This is a reported group average, not a published salary scale or a promise that every referee earns that amount. It is also a 2025 figure: it should not be presented as a confirmed salary for the 2026/27 season.
What makes up a referee’s earnings?
Annual salary and match fees
The reported salary is only one part of the pay picture. BBC Sport says match fees are added to salary, but the report does not state the current fee per match or how many appointments each referee receives. Without those details, it is not possible to calculate an individual’s total earnings from the average salary alone.
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Potential bonuses and other appointments
BBC Sport reports that performance reviews take place throughout the season, including input from an independent Key Match Incidents Panel, and that reviews inform the size of any potential performance-related bonuses. The report does not quantify those bonuses. It also notes that some referees may earn extra by officiating in European and international competitions; those opportunities and amounts are not established for every referee.
How do the reported figures for other officials compare?
Figures for other roles and competitions are not interchangeable with the Premier League referee average.
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| Role or group | Reported figure | How to interpret it |
|---|---|---|
| Premier League Select Group One referees | £180,000 average annual salary | BBC Sport report published in 2025; match fees are additional. |
| Assistant referees | £110,000 average salary | BBC Sport attributed this figure to referees’ chief Howard Webb speaking to EFL clubs; it is for a different role. |
| Championship Select Group 2 | Around £120,000 | BBC Sport described this as an estimate of salaries thought to apply to a different competition group. |
All three figures come from BBC Sport’s 2025 report. It does not provide comparable salary figures for women’s competitions, so no such comparison can be made from these figures.
Did referee pay change for 2026/27?
The FA announced an organisational change for the 2026/27 season: PGMO would adopt the name Professional Game Referees (Pro Ref), and Select Groups 1 and 2, together with the supplementary list, would merge into a new Professional Referee Group in the men’s professional game. The announcement describes the new structure and appointments, not a new salary or match-fee schedule. The FA’s announcement therefore does not establish a pay increase or confirm that the 2025 average remains current.
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For season context, the Premier League said six new referees joined a supplementary list for Select Group 1 for 2025/26. That appointment update does not provide revised pay information. The Premier League’s 2025/26 update concerns the list, not compensation.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Can you work out an individual referee’s annual earnings?
Not from the published average alone. A precise total would require the referee’s salary, match-fee rate, number and type of appointments, any bonus award, and income from other competitions. The cited sources do not provide those details or a 2026/27 pay table, so claims about an exact individual total would go beyond what is established.
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