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Referee Jarred Gillett will be wearing a video camera for the very first time in the history of the Premier League during the May 6 encounter involving Crystal Palace and Manchester United, as part of a one-time promotion project, the league announced.
The Football Association stated in 2023 that it will test body cameras on referees in grassroots leagues in England to see if the technology could assist "improve participant behaviour and respect towards referees". The Bundesliga also employed the "RefCam" for the first time in February, during the 2-2 draw involving Eintracht Frankfurt and VfL Wolfsburg.
A statement from the English Premier League said that, "Fans will be able to view it later in the year as part of a programme being produced by Premier League Productions aimed at offering further insight and education into the demands of officiating in the Premier League. The technology comprises a head-mounted device which is integrated into the usual referee communications system.
The statement added, "Its one-off use for educational purposes has been approved by the IFAB (International Football Association Board), the Premier League, PGMOL (Professional Game Match Officials Limited) and both clubs. We would like to thank Crystal Palace and Manchester United for their support with this project."
Previous occassions when refrees wore camera during a game?
Referee Daniel Schlager cooperated with the RefCam equipment to provide viewers a close-up picture of the referee's perspective and to demonstrate the obstacles that match officials encounter.
The camera's footage will be used during a monthly 30-minute presentation titled 'Referees Mic'd up - Bundesliga' beginning March 12. DFL Digital Sports produced the programme, which is going to be made accessible to national and worldwide media.
The deployment of a ref cam expands on past uses of microphones across other European countries during the previous season. In April of the previous year, official Emily Heaslip donned a microphone during Chelsea's Women's Super League match versus Reading. In the same month, Ligue 1 referee Benoit Millot was mic'd up during a match between Lyon and Nantes.