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.