Who is Sunny Singh Gill? Indian origin set to Make History as First British South Asian Premier League Referee

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The Premier League waits for a major moment of history as Sunny Singh Gill is set to become the first British South Asian to officiate a Premier League match.

Sunny Singh Gill, who has refereed in the lower divisions of the English football tier, will be making the groundbreaking move in the weekend's match between Crystal Palace and Luton Town.

A Historic Appointment

Sunny Singh Gill's selection for this weekend's match highlights the ongoing efforts to diversify the pool of referees in the Premier League. He joins the ranks of seven referees from outside the Professional Game Match Officials Limited's (PGMOL) Select Group to have been allowed to lead a Premier League match during this season.

Who is Sunny Singh Gill?

Sunny Singh Gill is a British referee who will be officiating his first Premier League match on Saturday (March 9) at Selhurst Park. He was born in England but his ancestors are from Punjab in India.

Officiating Runs in his Family

The Singh Gill family has a storied history of breaking barriers in English football officiating. Sunny's father, Jarnail Singh Gill, is remembered as the pioneering English league football referee to wear a turban during his career, overseeing 150 matches from 2004 to 2010.

Sunny's brother, Bhupinder, also carved his own path in the Premier League's history books. In January 2023, Bhupinder became the first Sikh-Punjabi to serve as a Premier League assistant referee during the match between Southampton and Nottingham Forest.

Together, the Singh Gill family's contributions to English football are a testament to their dedication and passion for the sport. Sunny is not just a referee, but he works as a Prison officer simultaneously.

"I now want to set more goals and fulfil my dream of becoming the first South Asian to referee in the Premier League," he said to EFL last year, and looks like his dream is coming true.