Scott played football at youth as a goalkeeper for Abingdon Town. A long-term back injury was a persistent problem; fearing permanent damage, he retired from playing competitive football at the age of 27.[7]
He started refereeing in 1997, originally at lower-league level and harbouring little serious ambition of progressing to the highest echelon of football officiating. However, following positive feedback from players he decided to take the role more seriously.[8] He joined the National List of referees in 2008, officiating many important games, including Crawley Town's upset of Bolton in the 2012–13 Football League Cup. In November 2014 he officiated his first Premier League match, between Burnley and Aston Villa.[9]
In 2015, he was promoted to the Select Group of Referees, who officiate the matches in the Premier League, replacing long-time referee Chris Foy. In 2016, former referee Keith Hackett suggested that this promotion was "a mistake".[10] The PGMOL sought to demote Scott at the end of the 2016–17 season after he refereed just eight Premier League matches all season[11] – of the 19 Select Group referees, only Lee Probert refereed fewer matches.[12] However, Scott appealed against his demotion and retained his place for the 2017–18 season. A number of improved performances has led to him to officiate an increased number of matches, with 13 Premier League matches and an EFL League Cup semi-final by the end of January 2018.[13][14][15] He has established a reputation for consistent game management, as well as actively discouraging time-wasting, diving,[16] and dissent, which has garnered some praise from football pundits and journalists.[17][18]
^"The week in sport: Great Scott tries to erase diving in one night". The Times. 19 January 2018. So well done, Graham Scott. Forget VAR: here was a referee intent on single-handedly eradicating diving in one night. Alas, nobody has mentioned his courage under fire, only that Willian probably didn't deserve a booking, but referees like Scott are heroes.
