Meet the Premier League’s first ever TikTok referee

Sam Allison became the first black referee in 15 years to take charge of a Premier League game when he oversaw Luton’s 3-2 win at Sheffield United in December.

His performance impressed fans and he was later put in charge of two other top-flight matches last season: Bournemouth‘s 4-3 victory over Luton and Newcastle’s 1-0 win at Fulham.

The 43-year-old is very different to most top refs in England but not because of his ethnicity.

Firstly, Allison is a former player. He spent time on the books of Swindon, Bristol City, Bournemouth and Exeter, before enjoying a successful non-League career with Clevedon, Chippenham and Frome.

Allison is also very active on social media. He runs a TikTok account where he offers fans an interesting and often humorous behind-the-scenes look into the life of a professional referee.

Last season saw Sam Allison become the first black Premier League referee in 15 years

Allison made his top-flight debut on Boxing Day by overseeing Luton’s win at Sheffield United

Prior to Allison, Uriah Rennie (centre) had been the only black ref in Premier League history

Many of his videos to date have focussed on how he keeps himself match fit.

Allison has shared videos of himself undergoing respiratory analysis, wearing compression boots to aid recovery, challenging colleagues to sprint races in training and working hard in the gym.

He recently captioned footage of himself on the treadmill with the message: ‘Referees are the unsung athletes on the pitch. Training hard to stay sharp.’

As well as documenting his workouts, Allison gives fans a taste of just how much preparation and analysis goes into his job.

Ahead of a summer friendly game between Cheltenham and Plymouth, Allison surprised some fans by revealing the amount of equipment he takes to each fixture.

Then, following his first EFL appointment of the season, he explained: ‘After every game there’s a match review to complete’. Allison accompanied a clip of himself rewatching his performance from Middlesbrough’s 1-0 win over Swansea with the caption: ‘You’re a referee but it’s not over when you blow the whistle.’ 

Allison joined TikTok in July and he has since given fans an insight into the life of a referee

The Premier League ref has shared several videos, documenting his workouts and much more

Allison showed fans that his matchday role does not finish when he blows the final whistle

Alisson – who juggled his playing career with his former role as a fire fighter – currently divides his time between the Premier League and the EFL Championship.

Earlier this summer, he uploaded a video of himself unboxing his official kit for the new campaign.

He also shared a video of him trying on the various kits, which he ended by flashing the ‘No room for racism’ sleeve sticker in front of the camera. His favourite referee’s shirt was the Premier League’s orange one, by the way.

Another of Allison’s popular uploads is a video of him performing keepy uppies alongside the cheeky message: ‘POV: when the ref can kick a ball’.

Social media is a powerful tool that allows celebrities, sportspeople and now referees to connect with fans.

However, it can also be a hateful place, full of trolls and abusive comments.

Right now, Allison’s TikTok account has around 20,000 followers and the overwhelming majority of the interactions from fans are positive and polite.

But that could change after Allison takes charge of a few more high-profile Premier League teams and fixtures this season.

Allison showed off the official kit he will wear this season, including his favourite orange top

Allison is a former player and he posted a video of himself doing keepy uppies in his garden

Sadly, a backlash seems almost inevitable at some point. 

Allison was not appointed to a top-flight fixture for the opening weekend of the 2024-25 Premier League campaign.

He instead oversaw West Brom vs Leeds in the Championship on Saturday.