As part of a series looking ahead to the start of the 2021/22 season, the Premier League is looking at some of the new things for fans to keep an eye out for. Among the changes for this season is the way Video Assistant Referees (VAR) will make decisions. For Brentford, this will be our first season as a Premier League club and our first season with VAR in use at our games.

The 2021/22 season will be the third in the competition with Video Assistant Referees (VAR). Each season of VAR brings learning opportunities, and the implementation of VAR will adjust in line with those to bring further improvements. In 2021/22, referees on the pitch and in the VAR Hub in Stockley Park will be making improvements in three areas:

There will also be a difference in how VAR decisions on potential offsides will be conveyed to TV viewers. In the first two seasons of VAR, the Premier League displayed the whole process of the VAR determining the offside call to broadcasters, who could share with viewers. For 2021/22, all that will be shared with viewers is the final image confirming the decision of offside or not. This process is similar to the one in place at UEFA Euro 2020 and other international competitions.

The Premier League website has outlined these changes in full. There are also comments from Mike Riley, Managing Director of Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), the referees’ body. See more here.