Each week we take a close look at the referee assigned to the Swans game and look at their previous record when officiating our beloved Swansea City.
This week’s referee spotlight focuses on James Bell, who was appointed the referee for the Swansea City v Oxford United EFL Championship game on Saturday, 3 May 2025.
Referee Bell was assisted by George Byrne and Matthew Jones, with Greg Rollason the 4th Official for the game.
Name: James Bell
Birthplace: South Yorkshire
Background:
James Bell is a self-confessed Sheffield Wednesday fan and started his refereeing career aged just 14.
He was promoted by Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) to the Select 2 Group of officials in August 2022, having made his football league debut during the 2020/2021 season.
He made his Championship debut on 20 August 2022, when he officiated West Bromwich Albion’s 5-2 win over Hull City at the Hawthorns.
Bell, was originally been due to take charge of his first Swans fixture in the Swansea City v Reading Championship game in October 2022, but was replaced at the last minute by Andy Davies, before then being due to take charge of the Swansea City v Middlesbrough Championship game in December 2023, only to be replaced by Matthew Donohue!
Swans related Fact(s):
This was only the third time that referee James Bell has officiated a Swansea City game.
Here are the all important facts and figures for each game that he has been a referee for a Swansea City game:
|
Date
|
Competition
|
Home Team
|
Score
|
Away Team
|
| 3 May 2025 | EFL Championship | Swansea City | 3:3 | Oxford United |
| 18 January 2025 | EFL Championship | Cardiff City | 3:0 | Swansea City |
| 7 December 2024 | EFL Championship | Luton Town | 1:1 | Swansea City |
In summary, James Bell’s record for Swansea City games is as follows:
Home Games
P1 W0 D1 L0
Away Games
P2 W0 D1 L1
Overall Record
P3 W0 D2 L1
This referee has a Swans Love Factor of 67%
You can also browse more information and stats about other referees who have officiated Swansea City games.