Which football teams do Premier League referees support?

Premier League referees have a great deal of influence on match results, since they are the arbiters of the beautiful game and the keepers of justice. But, what everyone often wants to know is which football teams these officials root for.

There has been plenty of controversy since VAR was introduced from red cards for kicking the ball away in 2024/25 – we’re looking at you Declan Rice – to Nottingham Forest going as far as to inferring that Stuart Attwell’s apparent allegiances to Luton Town influenced him to turn down three penalty decisions against Everton in April 2024.

Forest were notably on the wrong end of some key decisions in 2023/24, even hiring Mark Clattenburg as a Referee Analyst in a bid to get more clarity on officiating at the highest level. He has now left that post.

While VAR has got no better and the officiating goes from bad to worse, here is a look at every Premier League referee with known allegiances to other clubs…

Referee	From	Club supported
Anthony Taylor	Greater Manchester	Altrincham
Michael Oliver	Northumberland	Newcastle United
Stuart Attwell	Warwickshire	Luton Town
Craig Pawson	South Yorkshire	Sheffield United
Bobby Madley	West Yorkshire	Huddersfield Town
Paul Tierney	Greater Manchester	Wigan Athletic
Graham Scott	Oxfordshire	Swindon Town
Simon Hooper	Wiltshire	Swindon Town
Andrew Madley	West Yorkshire	Huddersfield Town
David Coote	Nottinghamshire	Notts County
Darren England	South Yorkshire	Barnsley
Tony Harrington	Durham	Hartlepool United

Anthony Taylor

Altrincham

Anthony Taylor is an experienced Premier League officiating figure who was born in Wythenshawe, Manchester. From a city that is well known for its football passion, he is a supporter of the Greater Manchester team Altrincham FC.

Having worked at the highest level for more than 10 years, Taylor has officiated a number of high-profile games, demonstrating his ability to keep the peace in the high-stress environment of English football.

PL referee since	February 2010
Notable games refereed
2015 League Cup final
2017 FA Cup final
2020 FA Cup final
2020 Super Cup final
2021 Nations League final
2023 Europa League final

Michael Oliver

Newcastle United

Hailing from Northumberland, England, Michael Oliver is one of the more established referees on the Premier League officiating scene.

Though Oliver was raised in Newcastle upon Tyne, a city known for its fervent football culture, he is loyal to Ashington AFC, the team from his hometown, as well as supporting Newcastle United.

Oliver has advanced quickly through the ranks to become one of the Premier League’s youngest referees. He is one of the best referees in the world, as seen by his success officiating games in important European competitions such as the UEFA Champions League.

PL referee since	August 2010
Notable games refereed
2016 League Cup final
2018 FA Cup final
2021 FA Cup final
2022 Super Cup final

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Stuart Attwell

Luton Town

Stuart Attwell is a well-known referee from Nuneaton in Warwickshire. He happens to be a Luton Town supporter, which was something Nottingham Forest pointed out to the Premier League prior to their most recent clash with Everton, where Attwell took up VAR duty.

At the age of 25, he was once the Football League’s youngest-ever referee, demonstrating his devotion and tenacity on his path to the Premier League.

PL referee since	August 2008
Notable games refereed
2022 League Cup final
2023 Community Shield

Craig Pawson

Sheffield United

Born in South Yorkshire, England, Craig Pawson has made a name for himself as one of the leading referees for English football. He’s from the football-loving town of Barnsley, who he happens to support.

He has been entrusted with supervising some of the most dramatic meetings in English football, in addition to officiating many high-profile games.

PL referee since	February 2013
Notable games refereed
2018 League Cup final
2022 FA Cup final

Bobby Madley

Huddersfield Town

Premier League referee Bobby Madley made a bit of a name for himself in football with his own flair and assured refereeing. Madley, who was brought up in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, started officiating football at an early age and advanced fast through the ranks to work in the highest division of English football.

He supports Huddersfield Town, along with his brother and fellow top-flight referee, Andrew Madley.

PL referee since	April 2013
Notable games refereed
2016 Championship play-off final
2017 Community Shield

Paul Tierney

Wigan Athletic

Paul Tierney is from Wigan, Greater Manchester, which explains his support for Wigan Athletic.

Tierney has established himself as a mainstay in the Premier League thanks to his attention to detail and no-nonsense refereeing. But, he has had his controversial moments, including the late goal Liverpool scored this season against Nottingham Forest, when Tierney dropped the ball to the Reds after a stoppage in play, despite Forest having possession when the game was halted.

PL referee since	August 2014
Notable games refereed
2021 League Cup final
2023 FA Cup final

Simon Hooper

Swindon Town

From Wiltshire, England, Simon Hooper has established himself as a prestigious Premier League referee, and is one of two Premier League referees who support Swindon Town.

The Englishman has been at the centre of controversy at times this season, none more so than as referee during the diabolical VAR error that saw Luis Diaz’s goal wrongly disallowed for offside in the game between Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool.

PL referee since	August 2015
Notable games refereed
2017 League One play-off final
2022 League One play-off final

Graham Scott

Swindon Town

Originating in Oxfordshire, England, Graham Scott has become a well-respected name in Premier League officiating circles.

When he first began officiating football in 1997 at lower-league level, he had no real aspirations of rising to the top of the sport. Now, 27 years later, he’s one of the least controversial referees in the top flight, which is some achievement when you consider all the terrible VAR decisions that have been made since its introduction.

PL referee since	November 2014
Notable games refereed
2018 League Cup semi-final
2019 Championship play-off semi-final

Andrew Madley

Huddersfield Town

Yorkshire-born Andrew Madley is the second of the Madley brothers who both support Huddersfield.

His appointment as the FA Cup Final’s fourth official in 2021 was noteworthy, but it hasn’t all been pretty for Madley, as he was heavily criticised for his decision not to refer Jon Moss to the monitor for a penalty decision in a game between Manchester City and Southampton back in 2021.

PL referee since	March 2018
Notable games refereed
2015 League One play-off final
2019 League One play-off final

David Coote

Notts County

Born in Nottinghamshire, England, David Coote opted for the black-and-white-striped side of Nottingham as a supporter of Notts County.

Notably, he has officiated in a number of high-profile games, including at the 2022 FA Cup final as fourth official and is now an experienced Premier League referee. Despite Coote’s commitment to maintaining the integrity of the game and ability to make quick decisions, fans of Luton Town or Aston Villa may not have fond memories of him, as both had controversial decisions go against them this season.

PL referee since	April 2018
Notable games refereed
2014 League One play-off final
2023 League Cup final

Tony Harrington

Hartlepool United

Tony Harrington is a well-known figure in the football refereeing community, officiating games in the Premier League and EFL. He is originally from Cleveland, England, hence his love for Hartlepool United.

He has officiated several high-stakes games throughout the years, including crucial cup fixtures and many Premier League matches. But his decision-making was called out recently by Wolves manager Gary O’Neil after his side’s late equaliser was ruled out for offside against West Ham.

PL referee since	December 2021
Notable games refereed
2021 League One play-off final