The 42-year-old is on the verge of making history by becoming the first black referee to officiate a game in the Premier League's 15-year history. He was selected to officiate against Sconthope United and Luton Town, which would also make him the second black referee in Premier League history. Allison is not new to the world of refereeing, having had a career spanning 12 years. Before becoming a referee, he was a player who played for clubs such as Salisbury City and Dorset.
He also played for Swindon Town and Bristol City before retiring. Interestingly, Allison didn't initially plan to become a referee. It wasn't until after a conversation with the secretary of one of the clubs he played for that he was encouraged to pursue a career as a referee. Although he was a trained firefighter, he decided to focus on refereeing and gradually made a breakthrough in the world of refereeing.
In 2020, he became a full-time referee for the FA Championship Refereeing Organisation and became the third black referee to officiate the Championship. He has officiated at a wide range of competitions including the Championship, League One, League Two, FA Cup, League Cup, National League, Premier League 2, League Cup and FA Youth Cup. Allison's appointment as a Premier League referee has been widely praised and welcomed by Bamref, a black, Asian and mixed-race refereeing organisation. This is an important step in increasing the diversity of football referees. With Allison's milestone of officiating 100 Championship games approaching, his promotion to Second Division Referee (SG2) for the 2023 24 season marks his continued progress in his career and the potential for further promotion.