Huddersfield Town have pledged £50,000 to the English Football League so the second division will have full-time referees for the first time in it's history.

The officials will form the 'Select Group 2', with 18 referees and 36 assistants being contracted thanks to financial investment from all 24 Championship clubs.

Appointing professional referees to the second tier of English football is part of an initiative designed to revamp conduct throughout football and manage the behaviour of players and coaches towards match officials.

The new set of referees have been appointed alongside a revision of the game's laws, which were designed to cut down on inconsistency between officials.

The new set of rules came into place ahead of Euro 2016, with players now allowed to play the ball backwards from kick off amongst other tweaks to the game.

Antoine Griezmann knocks the ball backwards from the kick-off

EFL Chief Executive Shaun Harvey said: "The job of a referee has always been an unforgiving one and today, more than at any other point in the history of our competitions, they face increasing scrutiny over how they perform and the split-second decisions they make.

"Therefore, there has to be a collective responsibility between The EFL and PGMOL [Professional Game Match Officials Ltd] to ensure we prepare our officials in the most appropriate way. The introduction of Select Group 2 will do this as we continue to look at ways of improving officiating standards.

"The move to full-time officials also presents us with a more long-term opportunity of supporting our ex-players and getting them back into the professional game by training as a match official. We all want refereeing to become a career and not just a job.

Shaun Harvey (left) with SkyBet Chief Executive Richard Flint

"It's also important to stress that it's our clubs who have driven forward this initiative and they deserve great credit for identifying an issue and then being prepared to find - and fund - a solution that will have a positive impact on the game for many years to come.

"Each Championship club has committed to £50k worth of additional investment, meaning there is no requirement to find this money from our central funds.

"The 18 Select Group 2 officials will predominantly work across the Championship, but as part of the new PGMOL development programme it will allow an enhanced training programme for officials in League One and Two, ensuring all 72 of our clubs benefit."