Meet the Referee – James Bell

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 Cardiff City v Swansea City EFL Championship game on Saturday, 18 January 2025.

Referee Bell was assisted by Ian Cooper and Andrew Fox, with Sam Allison 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.

It will be third time lucky for Bell, who 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 second 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:

In summary, James Bell’s record for Swansea City games is as follows:

Home Games
P0 W0 D0 L0

Away Games
P2 W0 D1 L1

Overall Record
P2 W0 D1 L1

This referee has a Swans Love Factor of 50%

Let us know what you think of this referee via our Swansea City Forum.

You can also browse more information and stats about other referees who have officiated Swansea City games.