Pro Ref is the body that manages match officials for the Premier League, the EFL, WSL Football and FA competitions. It became the new name for PGMO on 30 June 2026, while keeping the same overall purpose.
What Pro Ref is
Pro Ref stands for Professional Game Referees. In earlier Premier League articles published in 2023 and 2024, the same refereeing body was referred to as PGMOL, with the formal name Professional Game Match Officials.
The role did not change with the rebrand. The stated purpose remains to uphold the integrity of the game and deliver the highest level of refereeing across the competitions it serves.
| Item | Before | From 2026/27 |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Professional Game Match Officials (PGMO) | Professional Game Referees (Pro Ref) |
| Top referee groups | Select Group 1, Select Group 2 and a Supplementary List | One Professional Referee Group |
| Main competitions served by the top group | Premier League and EFL | Largely the Premier League and the EFL Championship |
What changed in 2026
The public announcement came on 30 June 2026. The headline change was the new name and identity, replacing the older PGMO or PGMOL wording seen in previous Premier League coverage.
The structure also changed from 2026/27. Select Group 1, Select Group 2 and the Supplementary List were merged into a single Professional Referee Group, which largely serves the Premier League and the EFL Championship.
What stayed the same was the broad mission. Pro Ref still covers the same family of competitions and is funded by the competitions it serves.
How Premier League referees are organised
Pro Ref is led by Chief Refereeing Officer Howard Webb and Chief Operating Officer Danielle Every. Its remit reaches beyond the Premier League to the EFL, WSL Football and FA competitions.
A new 3-year agreement brought increased funding from the Premier League, EFL, The FA and WSL Football. That support builds on the Premier League-driven Elite Referee Development Plan, known as ERDP, which is due to enter its fifth year of funding.
The development aim is wider than the top tier alone. Danielle Every said the changes are aimed at the 41,000 referees already operating across England and at the next generation coming through.
How Premier League referees are assessed
Performance is measured by an independent Key Match Incidents (KMI) panel.
| Assessment area | Details |
|---|---|
| Panel | Independent Key Match Incidents panel |
| Members | 5 |
| Who is on it | Former players and coaches, plus 1 representative from the Premier League and 1 from Pro Ref |
| Meeting schedule | Every week |
| What it reviews | Major incidents, on-field decisions and VAR decisions |
That system means referees are checked through a regular review process rather than by internal observation alone. It also places VAR calls within the same formal assessment structure as decisions made on the pitch.
At international level, 37 Pro Ref match officials are on the FIFA International List of Match Officials. That gives some sense of the level of officials working within the organisation.
FAQ
What does PGMOL mean?
Older Premier League coverage used PGMOL for the referees' governing body. The body's formal name was Professional Game Match Officials, and from 30 June 2026 the organisation adopted the new name Professional Game Referees, or Pro Ref.
Who is in charge of Premier League referees?
Premier League match officials are managed by Pro Ref. The organisation is led by Chief Refereeing Officer Howard Webb and Chief Operating Officer Danielle Every.
What is the Professional Referee Group?
It is the top refereeing group in the new structure from 2026/27. It replaces Select Group 1, Select Group 2 and the Supplementary List as one combined group, largely serving the Premier League and the EFL Championship.
Does referee assessment cover VAR as well?
Yes. The weekly KMI panel reviews major incidents and assesses both on-field and VAR decisions, so video review is part of the same formal evaluation process.