Who is Premier League referee John Brooks?

JOHN BROOKS is a referee who hit the headlines in 2023.

The linesman has worked as an assistant referee and referee in the Premier League.

John Brooks is a Premiere League referee from the UKDave Howarth - CameraSport via Getty Images

Who is Premier League referee John Brooks?

John Brooks is a football referee from the UK.

He was born in 1990, making him a relatively young referee for the stage he is at in his career.

Brooks is from Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire.

He first became interested in refereeing when he was just 14 years old.

John began his career as a Premier League assistant referee and became a Select Group 2 referee in 2018.

In June 2021, he was promoted to the Select Group 1, the panel of the UK’s top professional referees and assistants.

Jarred Gillett, Michael Salisbury and Tony Harrington also joined at the same time as Brooks.

Professional Game Match Officials Ltd managing director Mike Riley said at the time: “We’re absolutely delighted to welcome Jarred, Michael, Tony, John and Wade into Select Group 1 for the 2021-22 season.

“Their promotions are testament to their dedication and commitment on and off the pitch and the quality of their performances in Select Group 2.

“We very much look forward to supporting them with their continued development going forward and we are sure that they will all make a positive contribution on and off the pitch to the Select Group next season.”

Brooks, who has also worked as an EFL referee in the past, refereed his first Premier League match between the Wolverhampton Wanderers and Burnley in December 2021.

John made headlines in 2023 when he was axed from two matches over an error made in previous games.

He was due to be on VAR duty for a clash between Arsenal and Manchester City in February but was taken off the role after he wrongly ruled out Pervis Estupinan’s first-half goal for Brighton at Selhurst Park.

In May, Brooks was on the receiving end of Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp‘s frustration after the manager was seen clashing with officials during the team’s game against Tottenham.

An irate Klopp was seen charging towards Brooks, leading to him being given a caution.

How much is John Brooks paid as a referee?

According to reports, Brooks has an estimated salary of £48,000.

This puts him in the same bracket as peers like Jarred Gillett, Darren England and David Coote.

Other referees, such as Paul Tierney and Stuart Atwell, are thought to be on a higher salary of £70,000.

Premier League referees can take home up to around £70-£200k per year, according to Sporting Free.

While refs take home less money than the players they are overseeing, they do also earn a match fee in addition to their basic salary.

Official referees are thought to take home £1,500 per match, while assistant referees and video assistant refs get £850.