CHAMPIONSHIP REFEREES TURN PROFESSIONAL

EXPECT even higher standards of refereeing in the English Football League (EFL) Championship division this season.

Just like counterparts in the Premier League , a total of  12 Championship referees have become full-time professional.

A further six have become part-time professional. 

This had been made possible by the Championship clubs which have each chipped in with £50,000 to pay for the initiative.

Before being appointed, the 18 individuals underwent rigorous testing on a range of subjects, including the Laws of The Game, personal fitness and how to deal with sometimes-obstreperous players and managers.

They will be in the so called Select Group 2 and form the second tier to their Select Group 1 league colleagues who referee in the Premier League.

They 18 are:

Name	Home county
James Adcock	Nottinghamshire
Peter Bankes	Merseyside
Darren Bond	Lancashire
David Coote	West Yorkshire
Andrew Davies	Hampshire
Scott Duncan	Northumberland
Geoff Eltringham	Tyne & Wear
Simon Hooper	Wiltshire
Tony Harrington	Cleveland
Chris Kavanagh	Manchester
Oliver Langford	West Midlands
James Linnington	Isle of Wight
Andy Madley	West Yorkshire
Stephen Martin	Staffordshire
Tim Robinson	West Sussex
Jeremy Simpson	Lancashire
Keith Stroud	Hampshire
Andy Woolmer	Northamptonshire