England revamps refereeing job: PGMO changes name to 'ProRef', consolidates structure ahead of 2026-27 season

England's Professional Football Refereeing Association Announcing a rebrand from "PGMO" to "ProRef" before the start of the 2026-27 season, along with a major restructuring. After receiving additional funding from the Premier League, EFL, FA and WSL under a three-year deal. A key highlight is the merging of referees serving in the Premier League and EFL into a single “Professional Referee Group”, replacing the previous structure of separate Group 1 and Group 2, to create stronger internal competition. and praise the judges for their outstanding work Part of the budget will be channeled towards grassroots development and education work. Support the work of the FA with the aim of increasing the diversity of the refereeing workforce. and reinforce the understanding of decision making for Academy players in a concrete way. Pro Rev retains Howard Webb as head referee. Considering that the structure has been restructured and the image is modernized. It will help raise the standards of refereeing and open up a clear career path for talented referees. Since Webb returned to England about four years ago, he has pushed for an "elite referee development plan" to accelerate the creation of the next generation of referees, with Thomas Kirk and Faray Hallam promoted to Premier League roles in the past 12 months. The organization is also moving forward with “Cor This change was made after consultation with various stakeholders. including the Football Supporters Association The organization's senior executives stated that The fully funded three-year plan will push for a new name to reflect a modern, professional image and align with the organization's future direction. PGMO was founded in 2001 with the goal of raising the standards of refereeing in the Premier League and EFL. is another important step in raising the level of English refereeing work.