Sam Allison (born 1 October 1980) is an English professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

referee and former player who officiates in the

English Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...

Playing career

Allison played as a

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

for

Swindon Town Swindon Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The team, known as the "Robins", currently compete in , the fourth level of the English football league system. Founded as Swindon A ...

, Bristol City,

Bournemouth Bournemouth ( ) is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area, in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. At the 2021 census, the built-up area had a population of 196,455, making it the largest ...

, Exeter City, Clevedon Town, Bath City, Salisbury City, Chippenham Town, and Frome Town, as well as for

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

and Great Britain schoolboys.

Refereeing career

Allison worked as a firefighter and as a match official in the

. On 26 December 2023 he became the first black referee in the

Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...

in 15 years, since Uriah Rennie.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Allison, Sam 1980 births Living people English men's footballers Swindon Town F.C. players Bristol City F.C. players AFC Bournemouth players Exeter City F.C. players Clevedon Town F.C. players Bath City F.C. players Salisbury City F.C. players Chippenham Town F.C. players Frome Town F.C. players Men's association football midfielders English football referees Premier League referees English Football League referees Black British sportsmen England men's schools international footballers 21st-century English sportsmen