The English Premier League is one of the most popular football leagues globally.
Not only are the games exciting to watch, but the referees are some of the highest-paid officials in sports.
Are you ready for some quick maths? First, we will count the Premier League referee salary.
Spoiler alert: it’s a lot!
How Much Do Referees Earn in the UK?
Generally, every football game has a referee, two assistant referees, two additional assistant referees, a fourth official, one reserve assistant referee, a video assistant referee, and at least one assistant VAR.
But, how much do football referees get paid for enforcing the game’s rules in the English Premier League?
So, the annual Premier League ref salary in the United Kingdom, including the official, assistant, and video assistant referees, ranges from £30,000 to £200,000 without the earnings from the match fees.
Moreover, how much Premier League referees make depends on their football field experience and rankings.
Official Premier League Referees
Official Premier League referees apply the Laws of the football game, and they make sure the footballers are playing fair and safe.
Professional EPL referees get from £70,000 to £200,000 annual base salary. In addition, the fees per match that the official referees get are £1,500.
Furthermore, aside from the yearly salary and match fees, the refs in the English Premier League get a retainer from £38,500 to £42,000 a year.
Assistant Referees and Video Assistant Referees
The responsibilities of the assistant referees are judging if the ball has left the soccer field, who is getting the ball, judging offsite, and advising the official referee.
Furthermore, video assistant referees’ job is to review the decisions of the official referee. It means watching video footage of the football match events. They use a VAR system and work from the video operation room.
The basic EPL salary for the assistant referees and video assistants is £30,000. On top of the base salary, the assistant referees and VAR get a fee of £850 per match, which is way more compared to the salaries referees get in snooker.
But where does this high EPL referee salary come from?
The UK Premier League referees get paid by Professional Game Match Official Limited or PGMOL. It is founded by the English Football Association, the Premier League, and the English Football League.
Additionally, the PGMOL trains and mentors:
- the referees
- assistant referees
- the high-profile referees in the Select Group One referees.
To summarise the Premier League referee’s earnings, look at the table below.
| Referee category | Fees per match | Base salary |
| Official referee | £1,500 | £70,000 – £200,000 |
| Assistant referee | £850 | £30,000 |
| Video assistant referee | £850 | £30,000 |
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How much do Premier league referees make compared to other major football leagues?
Referees at the Champions League can also earn the same amount as the Premier League refs with a £1,500 fee per match and up to £200,000 annually. But, if they are referees in the Elite tier, they can make more than £5,500 per game.
Furthermore, the FIFA referees make an average annual salary of £260,000, higher than the Barclays Premier League referee salary.
On the other side, La Liga referees can make around £5,100 per match or £213,000 per year.
Bundesliga referees make an annual salary ranging from £36,000 to £59,600 and approximately £3,200 per match.
The female referees in the Premier League, like SIan Massey-Ellis, make £40,000 annually as assistant referees and £850 from one match.
And lastly, let’s see how much is the match fee that referees get in different countries.
- Spain – £5,200
- Germany – £3,150
- France – £2,400
- Italy – £3,000
- Portugal – £1,000
Related: How much do England players get paid?
Premier League Contract Holders Referees
How much do EPL refs make for being the best at their profession and having a Premier League contract?
Here are the TOP 10 highest-paid Premier League referees.
| Referee | Base salary | Earnings per match |
| Martin Atkinson | £200,000 | £1,500 |
| Mike Dean | £200,000 | £1,500 |
| Michael Oliver | £200,000 | £1,500 |
| Anthony Taylor | £70,000 | £1,500 |
| Stuart Atwell | £70,000 | £1,500 |
| Kevin Friend | £70,000 | £1,500 |
| Chris Kavanagh | £70,000 | £1,500 |
| Paul Tierney | £70,000 | £1,500 |
| Jonathan Moss | £70,000 | £1,500 |
| Andre Marriner | £70,000 | £1,500 |
Moreover, Premier League referees like Graham Scott, Lee Mason, Simon Hooper, and Peter Bankes cash a basic salary of £48,000 a year plus match fees.
Did you know: Martin Atkinson is a huge Leeds United supporter?
Conclusion
Premier League referees work hard to maintain their skills and stay up-to-date on the latest rules to make the right calls during games.
While the Premier League referee’s salary is not as high as the wages that the best EPL players get, it is essential to remember that these referees have a lot of responsibility and play a critical role in ensuring fair competition among teams.
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FAQs:
Who is the highest-paid Premier League referee?
Mike Dean has the highest referee salary in the Premier League, and he pockets £200,000 annually. He officiated more than 500 EPL matches, including many top games, which is why he is considered one of the best referees of all time.
Do Premier League referees have other jobs?
Professional officials don’t have another job because their Premier League referee salary is more than enough for a living. Plus, they have full-time employment status.
But, at the same time, semi-professional and amateur football referees can work other jobs because of their low earnings from officiating.