RefCam in the Premier League: Why referee POV footage is a game-changer
Written by
Ian Westbrook
April 22, 2026
In the 78th minute of February’s north London derby, Randal Kolo Muani thought he’d equalised for Tottenham against Arsenal.
Referee Peter Bankes immediately signalled a foul on Gabriel.
Moments later, the newly-released RefCam footage captured exactly what the players had heard: Bankes turning to Tottenham’s Micky van de Ven and Conor Gallagher and delivering his verdict – “The on-field decision is a foul. It is a clear foul. End of.”
The video showed the referee’s unfiltered line of sight and direct communication and viewers could see exactly what he saw in real time; not just the decision, but the body language, positioning and split-second communication.
That single clip showed that RefCam, developed by German technology company Riedel Communications, was even more than a broadcast tool, also helping with refereeing transparency.
RefCam is being trialled in selected matches this season in the Premier League, having initially been used in its Summer Series event in the USA in August. The idea is to offer TV viewers a different perspective of the action, although it is being used only for replays and not live action.
‘Business as usual’
Speaking on Sky Sports’Match Officials Mic’d Up two days after the match, Bankes explained what it was like to wear RefCam, which is an ultra lightweight camera that mounts directly on to the referee’s existing headset.
It includes an integrated microphone that captures the referee’s on-field communication and player conversations.
“You’re conscious before the game that you’re wearing it obviously and I’m sure the players can see it but it doesn’t change anything I do,” he said.
“I’ll try and speak to the players in the right manner throughout. There’s some times you’ve got to be a little bit firmer with them but I think it’s a good tool for people to see just how we do interact. The players equally are very, very respectful to me on the majority of occasions so once it’s on it’s business as usual.”
RefCam made its Premier League debut in May 2024 when referee Jarred Gillett wore a video camera for the match between Crystal Palace and Manchester United, although the footage was not broadcast live.
At the time, the Premier League said it was “part of filming for a one-off short programme promoting Match Officials”.
It added: “The technology comprises a head-mounted device which is integrated into the usual referee communications system. Its one-off use for educational purposes has been approved by The IFAB, the Premier League, PGMOL and both clubs.”
Gillett said: “It was easy to use and simply clipped into my microphone earpiece. It was also really helpful to me to review the match and to reflect on my positioning, movement and viewing angles at the ground level in addition to the traditional camera angles.”
This followed a similar experiment in Germany three months earlier when referee Daniel Schlager wore the device and a microphone when officiating at the Eintracht Frankfurt v Wolfsburg match in the Bundesliga, when again the footage was not used in the live broadcast or match summaries.
RefCam has also been used for selected matches in the Bundesliga since last season, with the league saying it provides “viewers around the world with further insight into the job of a match official”.
Lutz Rathmann, Chief Executive of Managed Technology at Riedel Communications said that RefSuite, the system built around RefCam, was “the culmination of years of field experience, product innovation, and direct collaboration with the world’s leading sports organisations”.
His colleague Marc Schneider, Riedel’s Executive Director of Global Events, said the technology was “designed to meet the demanding needs of international federations, leagues, broadcasters and production partners”.
For Bayern Munich’s game against Borussia Dortmund in April 2025, Riedel successfully used its Easy5G private 5G network and RefCam for the first time in a packed stadium, in front of a 75,000 crowd.
The Easy5G network was operational in under one hour, showing how quickly high-performance broadcast infrastructure can be deployed without pre-existing stadium tech.
The head-worn Refam Live camera system delivered live 1080p point-of-view video with a stabilised, immersive view directly from the referee’s line of sight. A Bolero S beltpack powered referee comms, while the RefCam Live beltpack streamed high-quality video to the broadcast compound – all integrated discreetly under the official’s jersey to avoid disruption.
The German Football League had approached Riedel “with a clear vision to redefine live coverage with cutting-edge connectivity and immersive capture,” said the company’s Executive Director Strategy and Innovation of its Managed Technology Division, Jacqueline Voss.
Voss’s division handled the full deployment, including system set-up, frequency management, remote access capabilities via a 5G core management port, and professional on-site interaction with match officials. In areas outside of 5G coverage – such as the referee’s dressing room – Riedel enabled Wi-Fi-based video preview, streamlining pre-match set-up without disrupting match-day operations.
Other sports using the technology
RefCam was first used in football in July 2013 in the MLS All-Star game in America. Although it featured in the odd MLS match after that, it was brought into regular use in the competition from September 2025.
In 2014, Australia’s National Rugby League used it for the first time and the USA’s National Football League and National Hockey League followed later the same year and an UmpireCam was used for the first time in Major League Baseball in 2022.
More recently it has been introduced into handball and basketball.
It was used in the semi-finals and final at the Men’s EHF Euro 2026 handball tournament in Denmark at the start of the year.
“Its introduction underlines the EHF’s broader mission to embrace state-of-the-art broadcast technology and to continuously enhance the spectator experience, both in the arena and for millions of viewers worldwide,” said EHF Secretary Martin Hausleitner.
It has also been used in basketball in Germany, making its debut in a match in Koblenz for local recording only in December 2025.
German Basketball Federation B and C Squad Referee Manager Carsten Straube said: “Innovative technology projects like RefCam can play a key role in quality assurance while also providing fresh insights for referee education and training.”
Follow Us
For latest updates, follow us on X at @ground_guru
