Alex King (referee)
Australian association football referee
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Alexander George King[1] is an Australian association football referee. He is a full-time referee in the A-League since 2019, and was the league's Referee of the Year in 2021–22, 2023–24, and 2025–26. He has been an international FIFA referee since 2020.
| Full name | Alexander George King | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born | Queensland, Australia | ||
| Other occupation | Carpenter | ||
| Domestic | |||
| Years | League | Role | |
| 2017– | A-League | Referee | |
| 2014–2016 | A-League | Fourth official | |
| International | |||
| Years | League | Role | |
| 2020– | FIFA listed | Referee | |
Biography
Born in Queensland, where he attended Bribie Island State High School, King began refereeing at the age of 13.[2][3]
King became a fourth official in the A-League in 2014, and the following year he made his debut as a referee in the league by replacing the injured Alan Milliner in the last ten minutes of the match between Melbourne Victory and Wellington Phoenix.[4] He was selected as one of the league's 13 referees for the 2017–18 season.[2]
In September 2019, King was named as one of Football Australia's three full-time referees alongside Chris Beath and Shaun Evans, replacing Jarred Gillett who had moved to England; he had previously worked as a carpenter.[5] At the turn of the year, he was added to the FIFA International Referees List as one of five Australian male referees.[6]
King was appointed to the 2022 AFC Cup Final in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, as AVAR2,[7] and was awarded Referee of the Year for the 2021–22 A-League Men season.[8] On 17 December 2022, he was the referee in a Melbourne Derby between Melbourne City and Melbourne Victory, when Victory fans stormed the pitch. He and City goalkeeper Tom Glover received head injuries by being struck with a metal bucket.[9]
King was a part of the Asian Football Confederation Referee Academy from 2018 to 2022, and was selected to officiate at the 2022 AFC U-23 Asian Cup, he was appointed to a single match between Iran and Turkmenistan.[10] He was also selected to officiate at the 2024 AFC U-23 Asian Cup and was appointed a single match between Kuwait and Malaysia.[11]
King was voted Referee of the Season in the 2023–24 A-League Men. He was thereby appointed as the referee for the 2024 A-League Men Grand Final, between Central Coast Mariners FC and Melbourne Victory.[12]
In the 2025–26 A-League Men, King was voted Referee of the Year for the third time. As a result, he officiated in the 2026 A-League Men Grand Final, between Auckland FC and Sydney FC.[13]