The Premier League is making significant strides in the development and testing of Semi-Automated Offside Technology (SAOT), aiming to enhance the efficiency of offside checks in matches. Despite the technology not being ready for live use yet, league officials remain optimistic about its introduction within the current season. SAOT promises to reduce the time taken for an offside check by an average of 31 seconds, a crucial improvement in maintaining the flow of the game.
Premier League Chief Football Officer Tony Scholes has been at the forefront of this initiative, advocating for changes with the International Football Association Board (IFAB), which governs VAR protocols. Scholes emphasizes the importance of ensuring the technology is fully prepared before its implementation.
"What it does is makes the process more efficient. So if we hold true to that basis that we're not actually changing the integrity of it, we're just making it more efficient, you arrive at a place that says, well, why wouldn't you introduce it when you're absolutely confident it's ready." – Tony Scholes
The Bundesliga recently became the first major European league to trial SAOT, starting with select fixtures last weekend. Serie A was the pioneer in adopting SAOT in January 2023, followed by LaLiga at the start of this season. These leagues' experiences provide valuable insights for the Premier League as it continues testing.
In 2025, the Premier League remained tight-lipped about SAOT's testing progress, but recent updates suggest a renewed confidence in its impending deployment. Although still reliant on legacy VAR offside technology, the Premier League considers switching to SAOT later in the season once most matches have been played.
"Clearly if we're not confident until the last two or three match rounds, I think you then arrive at a pragmatic place where you just say it wouldn't make sense to introduce it now. But if we're able to introduce it in advance of that, then it's something that we are actively considering." – Tony Scholes
The league's Key Match Incidents (KMI) Panel reports a reduction in errors from 20 last season to 13 this campaign after 23 games. This improvement signals positive developments in refereeing standards and decision-making processes.
In addition to technological advancements, the Premier League's Elite Referee Development Plan is fast-tracking promising referees through various levels. This initiative has already borne fruit, with officials from the development group officiating 65 games at a higher level than their usual operations this season.
"These are referees whose potential has been identified and plucked out from whatever level they're operating in the game," – Tony Scholes
"We're investing in them to shorten the time it takes them to get to the league. Sixty-five games have been officiated by officials in the development group already this season at a level higher than they operate." – Tony Scholes
The success stories of referees like Sam Barrott and Lewis Smith demonstrate the program's effectiveness. Barrott advanced from officiating League One and League Two games to being on the FIFA list, while Smith transitioned from refereeing academy teams and National League games to four Premier League fixtures.
"Two years ago, Sam Barrott was a League One and League Two referee. He's now on the FIFA list. And then there's Lewis Smith, who's refereed four Premier League games. Two years ago, Lewis was refereeing Premier League Two [academy teams] and National League games. So PGMOL deserved great credit for the work that they are doing in shortening the amount of time it takes for these officials to come through to be able to officiate in the Premier league." – Tony Scholes
Looking ahead, the Premier League plans to introduce referees announcing VAR decisions to crowds at the start of next season. This innovation was successfully tested during the Carabao Cup semifinals and aims to improve transparency and communication with fans.
"The system that we've adopted, we believe it to be the best system," – Tony Scholes
"We believe it to be the most accurate and the most futureproof system as well and that's why we went with that." – Tony Scholes
Despite initial skepticism due to early-season challenges, Scholes acknowledges significant progress made in recent weeks. His confidence in SAOT's eventual success reflects a broader commitment to enhancing officiating standards across the league.
"I have to confess, given the difficulties that we had over the first few months of the season, I had severe doubts about this, but the progress made over the last four to six weeks has been significant." – Tony Scholes
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