Saturday 6th AugustNewcastle United vs Nottingham ForestSt. James' ParkKick-off 3pm BSTTicket details

The 40-year-old is about to begin his fifth campaign as a regular top flight referee, having been promoted to Select Group 1 at the beginning of 2018/19. Born in Swindon and affiliated with the Wiltshire FA, Hooper joined the National List of officials in 2008 and progressed through the English football pyramid before reaching the EFL.

Having been appointed for the League One play-off final between Bradford City and Millwall in 2017, Hooper went on to referee two United fixtures in 2018 - the home draw with Burnley in January and the victory at Leicester City in September - meaning that two of his first three Premier League outings came in matches involving the Magpies.

Hooper didn't oversee a single game involving Eddie Howe's side last term, with his last meeting with the club coming in 2020/21 when he was the man in the middle for the 5-2 defeat at Leeds United and the 2-0 reverse at Aston Villa. His most recent visit to Tyneside came the previous season, when he was the referee for the Magpies' 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace on December 21st 2019.

2021/2022 stats

Games (all competitions): 31Yellow cards issued: 105Red cards issued: 1

Assistants

Assistant referees: Adrian Holmes, Mark ScholesFourth official: Tom BramallVAR: Lee MasonAssistant VAR: Simon Bennett