Sam Allison: Why has it taken 15 years for one more black Premier League ref?

Sam Allison was promoted to the Football League in 2020 and was moved up to the Championship earlier this year

On 26 December, Sam Allison will become the first black referee to take charge of a Premier League match in 15 years as Sheffield United face Luton Town.

For semi-professional referee Ashley Hickson-Lovence, the appointment is “tinged with a bit of sadness” as he feels it is something that “should be happening more regularly”.

“I think it’s a huge achievement, but there’s still a long way to go,” Hickson-Lovence tells BBC Sport.

Former firefighter Allison, 42, was appointed to the fixture by the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), which has set itself targets of increasing the diversity of match officials across the footballing pyramid.

The governing body wants an increase of 1,000 women referees and 1,000 black or Asian referees at all levels of football in three years.

Allison’s appointment is the first step towards their goal – but why has it taken 15 years?

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