Anthony Taylor buys a season ticket for Altrincham every year, despite being unable to attend most matches due to his job as a Premier League referee.
Taylor has been officiating Premier League matches since February 2010 and has taken charge of 336 games to date. The 44-year-old has worked his way up the divisions, starting out in the North Premier League in 2002.
Born in Wythenshawe, Greater Manchester, he grew up supporting nearby Altrincham, rather than Manchester United or Manchester City. And, despite working most weekends for the past 21 years, he remains involved at the National League side, where he helps with club events.
“Anthony has always been an Altrincham fan,” Altrincham president Grahame Rowley told The Athletic. “Even now, he gets a season ticket every year, despite the fact he can’t go to all the matches. People around here always ask if you’re a Red or a Blue. He’s actually a great advocate for non-League football and should be praised, not criticised.”
Taylor has been one of the most prominent British referees of recent years, having taken charge of international matches since 2013. He has refereed at European Championship and World Cup, as well as overseeing the FA Cup final, the Championship play-off final and the UEFA Nations League final.
Under PGMOL rules, referees are not allowed to officiate matches that involve the team they support, or games which might affect the fortunes of their team. For example, Michael Oliver cannot referee Newcastle matches.
Speaking earlier this season on The High Performance Podcast, Taylor said he would like the public to view referees on a more human level. “Actually understanding the perspective of the person making that decision is fundamental to help communicate on why the decision is made,” he said.
“Of course, people will probably still not agree with the decision a lot of the time, but one of the flaws a lot of the time when a mistake is made by an official is that lack of understanding of the framework of the laws of the game that the decision is made under.
“Or you’re basing a discussion around camera angles, for example, that the official who is making that decision doesn’t have access to.”
Mike Dean, who has retired from refereeing but remains a VAR, has previously spoken about why he would still abuse referees from the stands. “I've supported Tranmere since my dad took me to a game at the age of seven in '75,” Dean told The Daily Mail last year. “I followed them home and away.
“Did I join in with the chants? The 'You don't know what you're doing?' and all that? Of course. All the time. When you're a fan, you're a fan. When you're a ref, you're a ref. If I'm watching Tranmere and the ref makes a mistake, I'll let him know!”
