How much does the man in the middle make?
The Premier League is the most-watched football league in the world. In 2021-22, the average attendance for Premier League matches was 39,989.
An even greater number of football fans watch the Premier League on television or online streaming platforms. The Premier League reaches an audience of 643 million viewers per game.
With so many eyeballs on the English top flight each matchday, the scrutiny on referees is incredibly high. It seems every week there is some controversy in the league. Whether it is a missed call or a VAR decision fans don’t agree with, the Premier League’s referees are often criticised.
So, what inspires a person to become a Premier League referee? Well, the top referees in England earn a good salary and compete at the top level of the game – these are just two reasons people become referees.
How much do Premier League referees get paid?
Referees receive a regular wage along with match fees. The match fees are collected for every fixture a referee oversees.
A Premier League referee may earn over £70,000 annually. The highest-paid Premier League referees will take home around £200,000 per year, however.
It is far from what the top players earn, but still, a large salary compared to referees at the bottom end of the English football pyramid.
A retainer of £38,500 to £42,000 is paid to each referee per year. The retainer differs depending on the referee’s experience. A referee will receive a match fee of £1,500.
Assistant referees and VAR officials earn £850 per match. Championship referees earn the same annual salary as Premier League refs, but the Championship only pays £600 in match fees.
Who are the Premier League’s referees?
The Premier League has 16 referees in 2022-23, and each is assigned matches based on experience and performance.
Michael Oliver – Referee salary of £200,000
Michael Oliver is one of the most famous referees in the Premier League. The 37-year-old moved up the refereeing ladder to reach the top flight. It didn’t take Oliver long to get to the Premier League after he started with the Northern League in 2003.
Oliver was promoted to the Football Conference and Football League before landing in the top tier. Just two years after reaching the Prem, Oliver was FIFA Listed, and in 2018, he became UEFA Listed. Oliver is at the top end of salaries earning £200,000 per year.
Anthony Taylor – £200,000 salary
Anthony Taylor is one of the most recognisable Premier League referees. He works many of the league’s biggest games and oversaw the 2017 and 2020 FA Cup Finals.
Taylor is from Greater Manchester and rose through the refereeing ranks to the Premier League in 2010. As one of the league’s senior officials, Taylor earns £200,000 per year.
Paul Tierney – £70,000
Paul Tierney joined the Premier League in 2014. Since arriving in the top flight, Tierney has become one of the top officials for big-time league fixtures. The 41-year-old’s highest-profile match was the 2021 Carabao Cup Final between Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur.
Stuart Attwell – £70,000
Stuart Atwell is in his second stint as a Premier League referee. Attwell worked in Premier League matches from 2008 to 2012 before being demoted to the Football League. He returned in 2016 and continues to oversee Premier fixtures. Along with Premier League matches, Attwell spent time in Japan. He refereed three weeks of football matches for the J-League in 2010.
Andre Marriner – £70,000
Andre Marriner is one of the older referees in the Premier League at 51. He is recognisable, and many fans will know his name and face. Marriner was a FIFA Listed referee between 2009 and 2017. He began refereeing English top-flight matches in 2005 and has been a part of the league’s fabric ever since.
Simon Hooper – £48,000 salary
Simon Hooper began refereeing Premier League matches in 2018. The 40-year-old Hooper works matches at all levels of the football pyramid. According to Transfermarkt, Hooper has refereed a total of 52 Premier League matches as of September 16, 2022. He handed out a remarkable 146 yellow cards during that period. Hooper earns a basic salary of £48,000 per season.
Robert Jones – £48,000
Robert Jones is not a name many Premier League fans may be familiar with. Jones debuted in December 2019 and has tallied 26 appearances in the Premier League as of September 2022. Jones has spent more time in the Championship where he has racked up over 95 matches.
Peter Bankes – £48,000
Peter Bankes often splits time between the Premier League and Championship. Born in 1982, Banks is on the low end of earnings.
John Brooks – £48,000
John Brooks is one of the Premier League’s newer referees. Born in 1990, Brooks is young compared to many of his contemporaries. Brooks joined the Premier League in 2021. His first top-flight fixture was Wolverhampton Wanderers versus Burnley.
David Coote – £48,000
David Coote began refereeing football matches as a 16-year-old. He rose through the ranks of the football world and oversaw the 2014 League One playoff final. Coote works Championship and Premier League matches throughout the season.
Darren England – £48,000
Darren England reached the Premier League in August 2020. From 2012 to 2015, he worked as an assistant referee with the Premier League. England is on the list of FIFA International Match Officials for 2022.
Jarred Gillett – £48,000
Thirty-five-year-old Jarred Gillett joined the Prem in 2021. Before landing in England, Gillett refereed in the Australian A-League. He joined the Football League in 2019 and made a rapid rise to the top flight. The Aussie’s promotion to the Prem made him the first non-British or Irish referee to oversee a match in the English top flight.
Tony Harrington – £48,000
Tony Harrington is another name fans may not be familiar with. Harrington was promoted to the Select Group 1 in 2021, making him eligible for Premier League matches. His first official Premier League match was in December 2021. The match featured Wolverhampton Wanderers and Brighton.
Andy Madley – £48,000
Thirty-nine-year-old Andy Madley debuted in 2019 after a fast rise through the football pyramid. Madley is recognised as a FIFA official. The Huddersfield-born referee has spent most of his time in the Championship but gets regular games in the Prem.
Craig Pawson – £48,000
In 2013, Craig Pawson refereed his first Prem match as Swansea City played Newcastle United. Pawson began refereeing in 1993. He has worked as a referee for nearly 30 years.
Graham Scott – £48,000
Graham Scott is another one of the Premier League’s older referees. The 54-year-old joined the top flight in 2015. Scott is different from many of the other referees on this list.
He played football as a goalkeeper in the lower leagues of England. A back injury forced him to retire at 27 years old, but rather than coaching, Scott became a referee.
Referee Salaries Conclusion
So there you are, most premier league referees take home a basic salary of £48,000, with a few more jumping up to £70k per season.
Top flight referees such as Oliver and Taylor take home a whopping £200k per year salary.
These figures were sourced from websites on the internet, if you believe these salaries or any of the information is incorrect, please contact us to remedy this in the first instance.
