PGMOL Stockley Park visit
At the end of January 2025, Wolves 1877 Trust was represented by London Wolves member, Mark Feehan, at a visit to the PGMOL Stockley Park facility; an event organised by the Football Supporters’ Association.
Representatives from Premier League supporters groups
As the result of a motion put forward by Wolves 1877 Trust in 2021, the FSA has been committed to ongoing dialogue between supporter representatives and the PGMOL. This dialogue has been delivered through regular meetings (online), visits to referee workshops, and organised delegations visiting PGMOL headquarters at Stockley Park.
The meeting in January was held with supporter representatives from 18 of the 20 Premier League clubs. This visit to Stockley Park provided an opportunity to meet both the Premier League and PGMOL representatives and discuss several topics.
Supporters were first given insight into some of the statistics relating to refereeing in the Premier League; comparing the 2024-25 and 2023-24 seasons to show how certain aspects are improving, including evidence to suggest that the amount of correct on-field referee decisions and correct VAR interventions is increasing, whilst the time taken to come to a decision during a VAR check is reportedly reducing.
Law changes in the game were also discussed, as well as semi-automated offside technology and in-stadium VAR announcements.
The Premier League agreed to work closely with the FSA and supporter organisations on the regular surveys which are sent out to fans to gather views on refereeing and VAR.
In the afternoon, supporter representatives met with PGMOL’s chief refereeing officer, Howard Webb, and match officials Stuart Attwell, Chris Kavanagh, Sian Massey-Ellis, and Graham Scott. Howard spoke to supporters about the importance of their input and shared his awareness of frustrations with VAR inside stadiums, and the desire to continue providing more information.
“It was great to welcome the FSA and representatives of Premier League clubs to the VAR Hub as we continue to evolve our relationship and work together regarding refereeing matters across the professional game in England,” Webb said.
“We are fully committed to ongoing dialogue with The FSA and their Premier League, EFL, and Women’s Game networks, widening that understanding between supporters and match officials for the benefit of the game.”
Stuart shared his experience of being the first referee to make an in-stadium VAR announcement during the Tottenham v Liverpool Carabao Cup semi-final. He recognised the role referees can play in helping supporters to be as informed as possible in stadiums and to provide the best experience of VAR.
Supporters were then given an opportunity to try their hand at VAR in the VAR Hub. Supporters got to take the same seats that referees take on a matchday, acting in the roles of VAR and assistant VAR. Supporters were shown a clip and had to deal with the situation as if it were live, all under the pressure of a watching crowd and a stop-watch to see how long it took to reach a decision.
Supporters reiterated the importance of this experience reaching as many people as possible, utilising the roadshow experience that PGMOL offers, and continuing the dialogue through the FSA.
Mark commented ‘’ They admitted they are still on a learning curve. I’ve never been a fan of VAR, as it’s here I’m happy I’ve got to see it working, and how it works; it’s still down to human error in some ways but at least three pairs of eyes (including the on-field referee) on incidents. As a former player, coach, and alternative sports referee, I must admit my perception changed during the day and I came away feeling confident the tool is being used in its current best possible way, although they are still seeking to improve.’’
The Trust would like to record our thanks to Mark for attending the meeting on our behalf.
Content and photo courtesy of FSA