Tony Harrington is an English
football referee who referees in the
English Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
. Harrington was promoted to
Select Group 1 in June 2021.
Career
Harrington began refereeing in the Teesside Junior Football Alliance aged 14, after completing a refereeing course whilst at
English Martyrs School and Sixth Form College as part of
The Duke of Edinburgh's Award
The Duke of Edinburgh's Award (commonly abbreviated DofE) is a youth awards programme founded in the United Kingdom in 1956 by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, that has since expanded to 144 nations. The awards recognise adolescents and young ...
.
After four years as an
EFL assistant referee and four years as a
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team ...
referee, Harrington was appointed to the EFL Referees List at the start of the 2012–13 season.
Harrington was promoted to a Select Group 2 referee in 2016.
On 22 May 2021, Harrington refereed the
2021 FA Trophy Final at
Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 2002 to 2003. The stadium ...
. Only eight days later, Harrington was back at Wembley when he officiated the
2021 EFL League One play-off Final between
Blackpool and
Lincoln City.
After becoming a Select Group 1 referee in June 2021, Harrington officiated his first Premier League game on 16 December 2021.
Personal life
He is the grandson of former
Hartlepool United
Hartlepool United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Hartlepool, County Durham, England. The team competes in EFL League Two, League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system.
They were founded i ...
player
Tommy McGuigan. McGuigan is in the club's record books for being in the top 10 of the all time top goal scorers list.
Harrington supports his hometown club, Hartlepool.
Prior to becoming a full-time referee, Harrington worked as a PE teacher at
North Shore Academy.
[https://www.facebook.com/rosebrookprimary/photos/congratulations-to-tony-harrington-who-is-a-great-friend-of-rosebrook-primary-sc/3875949772534429/ ]
References
External links
English football referees
Living people
Premier League referees
Sportspeople from Hartlepool
People educated at English Martyrs School and Sixth Form College
Year of birth missing (living people)
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