Professional Game Match Officials (PGMO), English soccer’s professional refereeing body, has rebranded to Professional Game Referees, or Pro Ref, England’s Football Association said on Tuesday.
Backed by increased funding from the Premier League, the English Football League (EFL), the FA and Women’s Super League under a three-year agreement, Pro Ref will expand programmes to develop refereeing talent, it said in a statement.
As part of the changes, top-tier referees who primarily officiate Premier League matches and work as video assistant referee (VAR) and referees who officiate in the EFL Championship and other EFL competitions will be combined into a single group. This will oversee matches in both the Premier League and the EFL Championship.
