Meet the former footballers embarking on new journeys as referees

Just after 9am on a mild March Friday, two U19 teams from the Pro:Direct Academy warm up, preparing to face off in a friendly on a 3G pitch at the University of Warwick.

Some of these players may well go on to have a career in the professional game – Ipswich’s Jaden Philogene is one of the academy’s most recent success stories – but they are not the main focus today.

This match is officiated by former footballers accepted onto the ‘Player to Match Official’ programme, a joint venture between the PGMOL and the PFA, whereby current or former players enrol on a paid three-year refereeing scholarship as part of the PGMOL’s ERDP (Elite Refereeing Development Plan).

“We’ve made no secret that we are looking to broaden our pool of officials and entice people from other areas of the game and society into refereeing who may have historically not been well represented,” said chief refereeing officer Howard Webb when the scheme was launched in 2024.

More than 120 PFA members expressed an interest in enrolling and 10 were accepted: Martyn Andrews, Carl Baker, Chris Birchall, Iyseden Christie, Anthony Griffith, Sam Mantom, Jerry Nnamani, George Smith, Liam Trotter and Peter Vincenti.

Six of those 10 feature during the 90 minutes; during each half, three rotate between taking charge and assisting on either flank. Former Premier League referees Lee Mason and Phil Dowd watch on from the sidelines and make notes.

An entertaining encounter ends 3-3 and, while the players’ work is done there and then, the officials are not finished yet. A short walk away is a conference centre, where a feedback session follows. This side of the game is invisible to most, but a necessity to maintain high standards and continuous improvement.

In a small classroom, Dowd – who retired in 2016 – sits at the head of the table and leads, asking each to assess their own performance, then opening up the conversation to the group.

The PGMOL’s development director – Dan Meeson, a former assistant in the professional game himself – gets up from his seat now and again to chip in with constructive criticism, which is well-received.

A couple of penalty shouts are analysed; one was given early on despite appeals, the other was dismissed. An analyst plugs in his laptop and projects the incidents onto a large screen – the general consensus is that both decisions were called correct. It’s this feedback that affirms that these ex-footballers are on the right track.

The importance of leadership, confidence in decisions and sharp signals are discussed, too, as is scanning, which is clearly not solely reserved for the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Rodri and Xavi. Perhaps it’s even more important for referees.

Lunch follows the feedback, before a teamwork session later in the afternoon. Before that, Sky Sports had the chance to speak to two of the players on the programme about their experience so far…

Birchall: My goal is to officiate in the Premier League

Chris Birchall’s name is one many will be aware of – even if they can’t put their finger on exactly why.

A midfielder by trade, he started and ended his professional career with Port Vale, making over 170 appearances for the club, and also spent time at Coventry and Brighton.

But he is perhaps best known for playing international football for Trinidad & Tobago, qualifying as a result of his mum’s birth in the country. He played for the Soca Warriors against England at the 2006 World Cup and, in 2009, joined LA Galaxy, where he was a team-mate of David Beckham’s.

The 40-year-old CV was already glowing, but being part of this programme has given it a new shine.

“Me and Anthony Griffith both finished our career at Port Vale and we both mentioned it to each other,” he says. “Why are there no players in refereeing? What’s the reason? Obviously, the process was taking too long.

“I think the finances, maybe, of starting off at grassroots level was putting people off. But I think more than anything, it was the time taken to get from grassroots up to the Football League. If you were a professional who finished at 32, 33, there wouldn’t be an opportunity because you’d be 45 before you had the chance.

“This is why this programme is so exciting because it opens doors to ex-players to come through into the game and use their experience to not be better referees, but to try and be as good as they individually can, because there are some exceptional referees coming through who haven’t played the game.

“A lot of people say this is what the game’s been crying out for, but you don’t want to be the person to say ‘ex-players are going to become better refs’. It’s just another string to the bow of officiating.”

Through his development, Birchall is trying to become the referee he would have liked to have worked with during his playing days and he knows communication is key to that.

“When you’re a player, there’s flying banter around in the games when certain things are said and you want to say stuff back straight away. You’ve got to hone that in a little bit when you’re a referee,” he said.

“I’ll constantly self-commentate on the game and speak to players because I feel like I’m getting a rapport with them as that’s what I would have liked as a player with a ref.

“Sometimes when there’s no rapport with the ref whatsoever, that’s when the players get a bit worked up. There’s always going to be disagreements with every decision, but trying to build that rapport can help keep that game management calm.

“And the good thing with us is we’ve got the resilience, so we know the scrutiny is coming. We appreciate the difficulty of the role and we know we’re going to make mistakes on the journey, but we’re all excited. I’m buzzing for it.”

There is nothing to say Birchall or any of his colleagues will make it to the professional game. They know that. Of course, that is the hope, but there are no guarantees.

But the one thing they have in common is the desire to succeed. More often than not, it comes naturally to those who have a background in competitive sport.

“The contract is to get as far as you can, with the potential of the Championship and the Premier League within the three years. If certain players don’t make it to that level, they might make it to the National League, some players might make it to League Two, some players might drop out of it altogether,” he says.

“You still know you’re on an individual contract, the same as what you would be as a player. If you’re good enough, you’re going to be given a chance.

“Sometimes, someone will ask you a question like, ‘where do you want to be in three years?’ I want to be in the Premier League. I don’t want to come across as arrogant, but the opportunity is there to be in the Premier League. So, my goal within that three to four years is to be officiating in the Premier League.

“With the coaching and the people involved in this programme, the funding that’s gone into it and the people that are really interested in it, why would we not take the opportunity for the best we could?

“And if we can be trailblazers for more ex-professionals to come through then that’s great. If there’s an opportunity to bring more referees from different diversities, different backgrounds, then it can only be good for the game.”

Baker: I fell out of love with football – now I’m a student of the game again

After a decade in the EFL – where he played for Morecambe, Stockport, Coventry, MK Dons and Portsmouth – Carl Baker continued in non-League until 2022/23, when he played his final game for Quorn.

He admits he “fell out of love with the game” after he hung up his boots for good – until two opportunities came his way.

The first was caddying for one of his best friends, professional golfer Robert Rock, most notably at the US Open in June 2024. The second was this programme, which he first heard about during a family holiday to Turkey.

“I had a really difficult six to nine months where I was struggling to get out of bed,” he says. “I didn’t know what to do. I was waking up and I didn’t have any purpose, I didn’t have a job.

“I’d always been told where to be, what time to be there, what kit to wear, what to eat and then to have that to go to absolutely nothing, I would wake up in the morning and think ‘what am I going to do now?’ I didn’t know what my next step was.

“When this opportunity came up (it meant) I was still involved in football. It was the perfect timing for me and it’s given me a new lease of life.”

That’s not just a throwaway comment, either. If he wasn’t a student of the game already, he certainly is now.

“From the National League to the Premier League – if it’s on, I’m watching it,” Baker says with a smile.

“I’ve probably watched 1,000 games of football in the last month! I’m a little bit obsessed at the minute, trying to do as much research and find as much information as I can. When I’m watching games, I’m pausing it, rewinding it, taking notes.

“I feel like back in my school days, watching the referees, what positions they’re getting in and what signals they’re giving and just as many details as possible I can get. When I’m going in to do the games, I’m trying to copy what they’re doing and pick it up as I go along.”

For more than a month now, Baker has been officiating three matches a week. Most of those have been at academy level, with some West Brom Women’s first-team matches thrown in, too. He wants to gain as much experience as he can. “I’ve got that hunger to learn and want to do well,” he adds.

With the 42-year-old’s abundant knowledge of the professional game, interacting, explaining the reasoning of decisions and sympathising with players has come easily. It’s the positioning of a referee that has been more of a challenge, but one he is getting to grips with.

“You tend to ball-watch a little bit at first and you get attracted into the ball and sucked in like a magnet! With refereeing, you don’t want to be too close to the play but you don’t want to be too far away, so it’s getting yourself in the right zones where you’re in a good position and you’re credible.

“So if a player turns around, he can see you there and you’re credible to justify the decision that you’ve made, but you’re not too close where you’re on top of it and you’re potentially in the way of a ricochet or you’re so zoomed in you miss the bigger picture of it.”

Understandably, Baker has big ambitions. He wants to absorb everything he can and see where it takes him.

“I’d love to get as high as possible, exactly the same as I was when I was a player,” he says.

“I’ll put 100 per cent into my fitness, my learning and doing the games, then see how it goes. I’ve not really set myself a target in terms of I want to get there and I want to do that, but I just want to get as high as possible.

“I’d love to referee a professional game, but I understand it’s a difficult and long process and we’ve got a lot of work to do before that.

“The education, the knowledge and the time and effort the PGMOL and the PFA are putting into us is fantastic. They’re treating us exactly the same as they are with their top guys and we’re doing sessions with their top guys. I’m just trying to pick up little golden nuggets from their experiences.

“I absolutely love it – and a lot more than I thought I would.”