Sam Allison set to become the first black referee in the Premier League for 15 years – and the second EVER… as he will officiate the Boxing Day clash between Sheffield United and Luton Town
- There has not been a black Premier League referee since Uriah Rennie in 2008
- Allison, 42, will host today's kick-off at 3pm on Bramall Lane
- It's tight at the top with Arsenal, Liverpool and Aston Villa all dropping points… so who has won Christmas so far? – It all starts
Sam Allison will become the first black referee in 15 years to officiate in the Premier League when Sheffield United host Luton Town this afternoon.
He also becomes only the second black referee in the history of the Premier League, after Uriah Rennie who last officiated a match at the top level in 2008.
In 2020, Allison became the first black official in English football's top four divisions.
He was then promoted to the Championship at the start of the 2023-2024 season.
His first taste of Premier League action came as the fourth official during Brighton's 4-1 win over Chelsea in October 2022, and now he's getting the chance to referee a top-flight match.
Sam Allison will become the first black Premier League referee in fifteen years on Boxing Day
Allison (centre) will officiate the match between Sheffield United and Luton at Bramall Lane at 3pm
Uriah Rennie (left) was the last and only black referee in the Premier League to date
BAMRef, which supports all black, Asian and mixed heritage referees, said: “We welcome this appointment.
'It is a further step in the right direction towards a referee who reflects society and the player contingent within football.
'It is also the culmination of years of hard work by BAMRef members. We hope to work with Howard Webb (head of the Professional Game Match Officials Board) to identify more black officials and progress them to the top.”
It comes after Rebecca Welch made history by becoming the first woman to officiate a Premier League match.
The 40-year-old officiated Fulham's match against Burnley at Craven Cottage and showed three yellow cards.
Speaking about Welch and Allison's appointments, PGMOL chief Webb told Sky Sports: 'I am excited to see the appointment of Rebecca Welch as her first referee in the Premier League and on Boxing Day we will see Sam Allison take over his first match.
Rebecca Welch (right) made history on Sunday by becoming the first female Premier League referee
'They are both part of the PGMOL development group. It is an initiative that is in line with the development plan for the elite referee, which has been in place for a few years now to quickly guide talented referees into the trajectory.'
Allison is a former footballer who played for Swindon Town, Bristol City, Bournemouth and Exeter City.
He started as a referee twelve years ago and worked for a while as a match official and firefighter before moving full-time as a referee.
Following his promotion in 2020, Sam has become the fifth black referee to officiate in the EFL, following in the footsteps of Rennie, Trevor Parkes, Phil Prosser and Joe Ross.
Since then he has been in charge of more than 100 games in the EFL.