Referees

In the early league games there were two 'umpires': one from each club. There was also a referee, but he stood on the touch line like a modern assistant referee or linesman. The referee's was really a timekeeper, although he also had the final decision if the two umpires could not agree on a decision.

The modern referee came in during the 1890s. The Football League agreed to pay referees £2 per game at their first meeting, but this was reduced to £1 a month later. It was not until 2001 that some referees became fully professional.

Expenses

Some of the men who helped form the Football League were early referees. Many more club officials were ‘umpires’. No club official was allowed to referee a match in his own clubs division.Linesmen replaced umpires in 1891. In 1896 they received money for expenses for the first time.

A linesman was now expected to replace a referee in the case of an emergency - this is still the case today.
Another change that has stayed was that the referee could ask a linesman to help with a decision at any time during a game.

At first referees were paid their expenses on the pitch with the crowd around them. After 1908 they were paid in the dressing room. They were not allowed to speak to players either on or off the pitch.