‘Born out of quality’: Webb vows to increase match officials from minority groups

• Referees’ body stands by diversity initiatives

• Webb believes diverse talent pool will ‘raise standards’

Howard Webb, England’s chief refereeing officer, has vowed to continue increasing the talent pool from under-represented communities in English football’s officiating pathway, rejecting the wider backlash against diversity initiatives.

Addressing that historic under-representation has prompted a new direction. In June, the newly named Professional Referees’ Body (Pro Ref), formerly called Professional Game Match Officials, announced that Select Group 1, 2 and its supplementary list had been merged into a new, single Professional Referee Group in the men’s professional game and will largely service the Premier League and the Championship from the start of the 2026-27 season. Pro Ref said it would create flexibility in appointments and help to recognise a wider variety of talented match officials as part of the organisation’s new direction.