Premier League: Assistant ref Bhupinder Singh Gill on making history

Bhupinder Singh Gill was making big calls during Nottingham Forest's 1-0 win over Southampton

When Bhupinder Singh Gill became first Sikh-Punjabi to serve as a Premier League assistant referee it was "a proud moment" for his whole family.

Bhupinder was running the line during Nottingham Forest's 1-0 win over Southampton.

"It was a bit surreal to be honest, butterflies to the point where my stomach was hurting," he says.

Bhupinder says he wants more British Asians to get involved in the game, but feels they need to put in the effort.

"We just don't want to be a tick box just because we're an Asian face," Bhupinder says.

"We're there because we've worked hard," he tells BBC Asian Network's Ankur Desai show, adding: "we've made our way through the ranks."

The art of football officiating runs in the family - his brother Sunny is also an official and the pair are sons of former EFL referee and local Wolverhampton legend Jarnail Singh, who retired in 2010.

Pressure

But Bhupinder, from London, has achieved a first in the Premier League, and he understands the significance of the moment.

"When we lined up it was just soaking it all in and taking it all in. It was an unreal feeling," he says.

And as well as the pressure of the media spotlight, he admits his dad being in the stadium "just added on to the pressure".

While he was hoping he'd go into autopilot straight away from kick off, it didn't quite work out like that.

"The first five minutes the nerves were still there. And I'm just thinking, 'right, I need to get my first decision right'."

"After the first right decision, you're in the zone. And thankfully, everything went well"

Bhupinder, who qualified as a referee aged 14, alludes to a common issue in Asian families where people can find it hard to go into non-traditional careers.

He says he was lucky because his dad - English football's first turbaned referee - was there with him.

"And he was doing what I'm doing right now, so I could see it first-hand.

"If my dad wasn't an official, I wouldn't have thought twice about it, so now people can see me and my brother doing it in the Football League."

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Bhupinder, 37, is also a school teacher and says his pupils "have been going mad" since the game.

"Hounding me in the corridors in school and just saying: 'Sir, I can't believe that you made it. Why are you still in it? Why are you still teaching?'

"This is my job, [that] was just one game.

"But the support from the kids is brilliant and hopefully I can inspire one of them to take up courses."

Bhupinder's dad Jarnail took charge of more than 150 games in Leagues One, Two and the Championship before retiring in 2010

Bhupinder wants more South Asians involved in the game, whether that's picking up a whistle, coaching, or even in the business side of football.

British South Asians are under-represented and, according to figures, there are only 115 British South Asian footballers in the UK, out of 15,000 players in academy and professional football.

"There's so many pathways involved in football. And I think the Premier League are doing so much now," Bhupinder says.

"There is so much more support available than what it was when my dad was refereeing."

And while he's enjoying this historic moment, Bhupinder has another goal: getting a full-time promotion to the Premier League.

"That's the ultimate dream.

"I'm pretty confident [about it]. As long as we just keep our heads down, just take it one game at a time.

"Stay grounded, stay humble and let's see where it takes us."

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